Sonic Mania: The Novelization
by PhantomHeartless5
Summary: Some time after foiling Eggman's latest scheme, Sonic and Tails fly to Angel Island to investigate a newfound source of power. There, they find Eggman's elite team, the Hard Boiled Heavies, excavating a mysterious gemstone out of the ground, its power transforming the Heavies into radical new forms. Now Sonic and the gang must race to keep the gemstone out of Eggman's hands.
1. Prologue: Crouching Island, Hidden Ruby

**I had planned to write a Christmas story, but I just couldn't think of any. Guess I'm not into the Christmas spirit, huh? Anyway, I decided to end the year with my novelization of Sonic Mania. Hopefully, I can do the game the justice it deserves. Please read, review, and enjoy.**

 **Spoiler Warning: This story assumes you have played _Sonic Mania_ , thus there will be major spoilers, especially regarding the true ending. **

**Just For Fun: Since Classic Sonic will talk in this fanfic, I recommend reading his lines in the voice of either Jaleel White (his voice actor from _Sonic SatAM_ ) or Martin Burke (his voice actor from _Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie_ ).**

 **Disclaimer:** ** _Sonic the Hedgehog_** **is the property of SEGA and Sonic Team. I own nothing.**

 _ **Sonic Mania: The Novelization**_

It was nighttime on Angel Island and all seemed calm and peaceful on the floating island. The Master Emerald was safe under the watchful eye of its guardian, Knuckles the Echidna, who managed to reclaim the Emerald back from the nefarious Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. Ever since then, he's made sure to keep an even closer eye on it.

Everything seemed normal at first. But in a certain spot in the forest, the ground began to glow with an ominous purple light. Red electricity began to violently discharge from the ground. A second later, a wave of energy emerged from the ground and engulfed the entire island. The space around the island began to twist and distort as the island itself began to rumble. Angel Island slowly began to descend into the ocean like a meteor, the impact of the fall creating huge tidal waves.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day...**_

A red and white biplane flew over the ocean. Those who saw it would instantly recognize it as the Tornado. Standing on the top wing of the Tornado was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog, the fastest thing alive. The young hedgehog had been on a great many adventures in his life. He normally spends much of his time traveling the world, however, his strong sense of justice often had him locking horns with Dr. Eggman and thwarting his dastardly schemes.

And of course, no hero would be complete without a trusty partner. At the wheel of the Tornado was Tails the Fox. His full name is Miles "Tails" Prower, but everyone calls him Tails for short, so named for his twin tails which allowed him to fly. Being born with twin tails made him the target of many a bully. That all changed one day when he met Sonic. Inspired by his speed, Tails resolved to be as cool as Sonic and he followed him everywhere, eventually managing to match his speed. Sonic was so impressed that the two formed a deep bond, becoming the best of friends. The Tornado was actually Sonic's plane, but Tails had proven to be such a great pilot that Sonic pretty much let him keep it.

Now the question that's most likely on your mind is what are they doing here? Well, Tails had detected a unique energy signature on Angel Island and the two decided to investigate it. "We're almost at Angel Island!" Tails said.

"So Tails, what's so special about this energy signature?" Sonic asked.

"I dunno." Tails admitted. "But whatever it is, it's unlike anything I've seen before. According to my instruments, the energy output was even _stronger_ than the Chaos Emeralds. That makes it worth investigating. Also, if we've detected it, then you know who else probably detected it too."

"Good point." Sonic said.

"There's Angel Island!" Tails said as they approached the island. But when they got close enough, they were stunned to see the island resting in the water. "What the heck happened?!" Sonic asked. "Angel Island's supposed to be floating!"

"It seems whatever caused that weird energy signature was strong enough to disable the Master Emeralds ability to keep Angel Island afloat!" Tails said. "This is really intriguing."

"I'll say." Sonic replied. "Anyway, see you on the island!" With that, Sonic jumped off the plane and sped towards the island. "Always on the move." Tails said. He set the plane on autopilot and input a command that ordered the Tornado to fly back to Tails' workshop. He then jumped out of the plane and began to fly to Sonic using his twin tails.

On the ground, Sonic raced onto the island, but quickly hid behind a bush. At that moment, Tails slowly descended near Sonic, but the blue hedgehog roughly pulled him to the ground. Tails was about to protest, but Sonic motioned him to silence. The two then peeked through the bushes and saw five Eggrobos gathered around a certain spot on the ground.

"Just like you said." Sonic whispered. "Looks like Robuttnik found that energy signature. I say we take them!"

"Wait a minute, Sonic." Tails said. "We don't even know what they're after. Let's see how this plays out."

"You know I don't like waiting." Sonic grumbled as the duo continued to observe the Eggrobos, who for the most part, were completely oblivious to their presence. The lead Eggrobo pulled out a communicator on its wrist. "Doctor, this is Heavy Leader." the robot said, its voice emotionless and mechanical. "We have located the energy signature. It is beneath the earth. Permission to commence excavation?"

" _Permission granted, my Hard-Boiled Heavies_." Eggman replied. " _Let's see what this energy source is_."

"Acknowledged. Commencing excavation." the Heavy Leader pressed a button on his wrist communicator and a large, metal claw descended from the airship above them. Digging into the ground, the claw reached in and yanked a piece of the earth out of the ground. Encrusted in the rock was a magenta-colored ruby with black markings on it.

"So that's the energy source, huh?" Sonic asked.

"Definitely." Tails replied as he looked at his Miles Electric. He had been attempting to scan the ruby, but all attempts had ended in failure as the computer's screen was completely scrambled with red static. "The energy this thing's giving off is completely off the charts. My Miles Electric can't get an accurate reading on it."

"Doctor, the energy source appears to be a ruby of some kind." the Heavy Leader said.

" _A ruby buried under Angel Island? How interesting_." Eggman said. " _Retrieve the ruby and return to base. This calls for research!_ "

"Acknowledged. Retrieving ruby." the Heavy Leader reached out and grabbed the ruby, preparing to wrest it from the rock. The moment he touched it, however, the ruby began to discharge red electricity, striking all five Eggrobos. Then, a wave of energy began to expamd from the ruby, engulfing the Eggrobos and Sonic and Tails, who then began to levitate off the ground.

"Tails! What the heck's going on?!" Sonic asked.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it can't be good!" Tails shouted.

A short distance away, Knuckles the Echidna was taking a nap after a day of training when he was woken up by the commotion. "What's going on over there?" he asked. He got up and walked towards the source of the commotion, only to be caught in the ruby's energy field. "Hey, what's the big idea?!" he asked as he felt himself being lifted off the ground. The space around him began to twist and distort as everything went white.

When the effect cleared, Sonic and Tails looked to find themselves... in Green Hill? The duo looked on in amazement at the sudden change of scenery. And that wasn't the only change they saw. The Hard Boiled Heavies had received quite a makeover. The Heavy Leader now resembled a king and carried a scepter, another Eggrobo resembled a cop, another resembled a knight, another resembled a magician, and another resembled a ninja.

The new and improved Hard Boiled Heavies flew off with the ruby in tow. Knuckles attempted to attack them, but was knocked to the ground. "Knuckles?!" Sonic asked as he and Tails ran to his aid. "Long time no see, Knucklehead." Sonic said.

"Sonic? Tails? What are _you_ doing here?" Knuckles asked. He then took a moment to observe his surroundings. "Come to think of it, where _is_ here?" he asked.

"We're in Green Hill Zone." Tails said.

"But how did we get here?" Sonic asked. "Weren't we on Angel Island?"

"Yeah, we were." Tails said. "It seems that ruby they found transported us here. And it also changed those Eggman robots into... well, whatever they are now. If it can do _that_ , then there's no telling what it can do in Eggman's hands! We gotta get that ruby back!"

"That's a no-brainer." Sonic said. "Knuckles, we could use your help."

"You guys are always dragging me into your crazy adventures." Knuckles grumbled. "Fine. I do owe you guys for helping me get the Master Emerald back. Let's go. The sooner we stop Eggman, the quicker I can get back to Angel Island. I don't like leaving the Master Emerald unguarded."

"Then it's settled." Sonic said. "Team Sonic is back in action! Let's move guys!"

With that, the trio sped off after the Hard Boiled Heavies, signifying the start of another new adventure.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Ruby Delusions. Next Time on _Sonic Mania!_ Team Sonic continues to traverse Green Hill Zone in pursuit of the Hard Boiled Heavies and the ruby. However, Dr. Eggman arrives in a Death Egg Robot, determined to steal the ruby for his own sinister purposes. **


	2. Chapter 1: Ruby Delusions

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last Time on _Sonic Mania!_ Alerted to a newfound energy source, Sonic and Tails flew to Angel Island to investigate, finding the normally floating island submerged in the ocean. On the island, they watched as Eggman's elite team of Eggrobos, the Hard-Boiled Heavies, excavated a mysterious ruby out of the ground. The ruby's power transforms the Heavies into radical new forms and transports them all to Green Hill, including Knuckles. Now Team Sonic must get the ruby back from the Heavies.**

 **Author's Note: A very special guest makes her debut in this chapter.**

"Hard-Boiled Heavies, report!" Eggman shouted. The Heavies had just retrieved a potential new energy source when suddenly, the connection went dead. Eggman has been frantically trying to reestablish the connection, to no avail. "Heavies, report! Report, blast you!" Eggman yelled and slammed his fist down on the keyboard in frustration.

"Temper temper, uncle." a voice chided. "Better watch your blood pressure." Eggman looked behind him to see a young girl. From the look of it, she couldn't be any older than 12. She had wild, spiky brown hair and wore a gold tiara decorated with a red gemstone. Her outfit consisted of a dress with a black top that had a yellow collar and white buttons. The bottom half of the dress was red and decorated with a yellow star. She also wore white gloves, black pants, and blue pince-nez glasses like Eggman. This was Eggatha "Omelette" Robotnik, or Omelette for short. Dr. Eggman's adoring niece who had come to spend her summer vacation with Eggman.

"Don't patronize me, Eggatha." Eggman snapped. "I'm not in the best of moods right now."

"You're _never_ in the best of moods, Uncle." Omelette replied. "Still, it's nice to see you actually up and about rather than lounging in your pajamas like a beached whale. So what's wrong?"

"The Hard-Boiled Heavies have stumbled onto a new energy source, one that is possibly stronger than the Chaos Emeralds, but the connection went dead and I haven't been able to reach them!" Omelette adjusted her glasses and walked towards the computer. She opened a panel in the computer and began to tinker with the wiring inside. "Increasing signal strength and... Presto!" Immediately, the static on the computer screen cleared away, revealing a map of Green Hill with five blinking red dots.

"That's strange." Eggman said, looking at the screen with a puzzled expression. "According to the map, they're in Green Hill. What the devil are they doing there?"

"Maybe their ship took a wrong turn somewhere?" Omelette asked as she crawled out of the computer. "In any case, I guess you want me to go retrieve them, huh?"

"No, I'll do it myself." Eggman answered. "In the meantime, I have another assignment for you. You managed to pinpoint the location of the Chaos Emeralds, yes?"

"Of course." Omelette replied. "After all, someone had to take charge while you were... _Indisposed_."

"Whatever." Eggman said. "Regardless, I need you to take the Flying Battery and find the Chaos Emeralds."

"Okay, but if this thing is supposedly stronger than the Chaos Emeralds, then what's the point in collecting them?" Omelette asked.

"If you're going to obtain one source of incredible power, then you might as well collect them all." Eggman replied.

"Huh. Can't argue with that." Omelette shrugged. "Anyway, I'm off!" With that, Omelette ran off to the flight deck where the Flying Battery was. Now alone, Eggman grabbed a remote control and pressed a button. A circle in the floor began to open up as a Death Egg Robot emerged from it. The head of the Death Egg Robot opened up and Eggman hopped inside. The machine whirred to life and rose from its crouched position and activated the rockets in its feet, taking off into the sky.

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile, in Green Hill..._**

"Man, we've been searching everywhere!" Knuckles complained. "How can five robots just up and disappear like that?"

"Any luck on your Miles Electric, Tails?" Sonic asked.

"Not really" Tails admitted as he fiddled with his Miles Electric. "That ruby's energy signature is throwing off my sensors, and- Hang on..."

"What is it?" Knuckles asked.

"Sensor's picking up something." Tails said. "Whatever it is, it's big, mobile... and it's heading right for us!"

"Everyone, scatter!" Sonic yelled. The trio moved out of the way as something crashed into the ground. When the smoke cleared, the object was revealed to be a Death Egg Robot. " _Ahh, if it isn't my old friends Sonic and Tails_." Eggman's voice came from the loudspeaker. "It's been too long." He then turned to Knuckles. " _And how could I forget dear... um... I'm sorry, what was your name again?_ "

"It's Knuckles, you glorified nerd!" the Echidna snapped.

" _Oh, I'm so sorry!_ " came Eggman's mocking apology. " _You must have been so insignificant, I forgot who you were._ "

"What do you want, Egghead?" Sonic asked in annoyance.

" _The same thing you're after, apparently_." Eggman's replied. " _That new energy source_."

"You mean that ruby?" Tails asked.

" _Precisely_." Eggman replied. " _I found that ruby first, therefore it and its power belong to_ me."

"Sorry, Robuttnik." Sonic said. "But the only way you're getting that ruby is through us!"

" _Oh ho ho ho!_ " Eggman laughed his signature laugh. " _Oh good, I was hoping you'd say that. I've been under a bit of stress lately, and killing you three might be_ therapeutic!" Without warning, The Death Egg Robot's telescopic arm shot forth, causing the trio to scatter once again. Using his Spin Attack, Sonic launched himself at the Robot, only for the Robot to swat him away. The Robot fired its other telescopic arm in an attempt to impale Sonic, but Knuckles grabbed the robot's claw and used his immense strength to halt its attack before throwing the arm aside.

Seeing his opportunity, Sonic curled into a ball and threw himself at the Death Egg Robot, hitting it several times. On the last hit, however, the Robot generated an electrical barrier around itself, electrocuting Sonic and repelling his attack. Tails dived in and began tossing explosive dummy Rings. In retaliation, the Robot began lobbing bombs at Tails. Tails managed to dodge most of them, but one of them exploded near him, sending him to the ground.

The Death Egg Robot leapt into the air and attempted to crush Tails underfoot, but Knuckles burrowed into the ground and rushed towards Tails, emerging from the ground to deliver a rising uppercut. The blow staggers the robot, but it quickly regained its balance and began lobbing bombs at the trio again.

With his super speed, Sonic grabbed each bomb and threw them back at the Death Egg Robot, each bomb damaging the robot's armor. Enraged, Eggman fired the robot's telescopic arm at them again. Knuckles grabbed the robot's arm again, but this time Knuckles ripped the robot's arm right out of its socket and threw the arm at the robot like a spear, impaling it. The Death Egg Robot stumbled backwards and landed on a weakened portion of the ground. Eggman screamed as he fell through the ground and into a chasm.

"Down goes Humpty Dumpty." Sonic said. "Don't think they can put _him_ back together. Nice job, Knuckles!"

"Eh, it's all in the wrist." Knuckles smugly replied.

"Guys, I'm detecting multiple signals down there!" Tails exclaimed. "Eggman's robots are done there, and that ruby's probably with them."

"Then there's not a moment to lose!" Sonic said. "Let's do it, to it! Come on!" Sonic jumped down in the chasm with Tails and Knuckles following close behind.

In the bottom of the chasm, Eggman opened the head of his badly damaged Death Egg Robot. "I _hate_ that hedgehog!" he exclaimed. His anger quickly turned to shock as he found himself staring face-to-face with the Hard-Boiled Heavies. Only, they were far different than before. The Heavy Leader now resembled a king and carried a scepter, another Eggrobo resembled a cop, another resembled a knight who was riding on a Motobug, another resembled a magician, and another resembled a ninja. The ninja was bouncing the ruby on its head like a soccer ball.

"My Hard-Boiled Heavies?" Eggman asked, completely astonished. "What happened to you? Actually, never mind. We can sort that out later. Give me the ruby!" The Hard-Boiled Heavies merely stared at him. "Quickly! Time is of the essence!" Eggman yelled. "That blasted rodent and his friends are probably close behind me!" Still, there was no response. "Are your audio receptors malfunctioning?!" Eggman yelled. " _I said_ _give me the blasted ruby!_ "

"Why should we?" The Heavy King replied. His voice was still electronic, but now carried a slight British accent.

"I beg your pardon?!" Eggman asked, aghast that one of his creations would have the will to disobey him. "I am your creator! You will do as I command!"

""You may have created us, but this ruby granted us free will." the Heavy King said. "So why should we hand over such a source of great power?"

"Actually, you're right. Why _should_ you hand it over when I can simply _take_ it?! Eggman activated the Death Egg Robot's still-functioning arm and snatched the ruby from the Heavy Ninja. Before the Heavies could react, Eggman pressed a button on his wristwatch that activated the scramblers in each of the Heavies' robotic brains. It was a fail-safe Eggman installed in all his creations.

"At last, the ruby is mine!" Eggman cackled.

"Not so fast, Eggman!" Sonic called out as he, Tails, and Knuckles rose from their hiding spot. "Drop the ruby!"

"Not you three again!" Eggman complained. "Oh, how I wish you were as far away from me as possible!" That's when something truly extraordinary happened. As if responding to Eggman's request, the ruby began to glow and quickly emitted a wave of energy that engulfed Team Sonic. The trio felt themselves being lifted off the ground as the space around them began to distort.

"Here we go again!" Tails said as he pulled out a small object and threw it at Eggman. A bright flash of light emanated from the ruby. When the light faded, Eggman looked to see that Sonic and the others were completely gone. "Remarkable..." Eggman said with awe. "It seemed the ruby responded to my command." Eggman jumped off the Death Egg Robot and grabbed the ruby out of its claw.

Eggman held the ruby in his hand as he observed it. Suddenly, the ruby began discharging red electricity, striking Eggman in the head. Eggman cried out in pain as the ruby's energy surged through his mind. Before his eyes unfolded a vision of what he desired most: Eggmanland. His own utopia. An amusement park-like citadel that would serve as the capital of the world.

A mad smile tugged at his lips as he drank in the sight of his dream. However, when he reached out to touch his vision, he unconsciously dropped the ruby, causing the vision to vanish. "What? Wait, no! Bring it back, please!" Eggman pleaded, practically crying. After composing himself, Eggman picked up the ruby again.

"So this ruby apparently caused me to see that hallucination." Eggman mused. "On top of that, it seemed to respond to my wish to see Sonic and the others vanish. It also transformed my Hard-Boiled Heavies into new forms. Such a power could be useful if weaponized. Prepare to be researched, ruby!"

Eggman imputed a command in his wristwatch, summoning his Egg Mobile. Eggman hopped into his vehicle and fired a tractor beam that captured the still-unconscious Heavies. "Better take you five back to base." Eggman said. "I need to see exactly what the ruby did to you." With that, Eggman flew back to base with the Heavies in tow.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview:** **Dr. Eggman's Mean Bean Machine!** **Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ Team Sonic finds themselves transported to the Chemical Plant by the ruby's power, and things only get worse when Dr. Eggman kidnaps Tails and Knuckles to challenge Sonic to a game of Mean Bean Machine. With the lives of his friends on the line, can the Blue Blur beat the deranged doctor at his own game? Find out on the next exciting chapter of _Sonic Mania!_**

 **Author's Note: Yes, Eggatha Omelette Robotnik is a character in this story. The character is not mine, obviously. All credit goes to Alpha Gamboa for creating her. I just found her cute enough to include in this story.**


	3. Chapter 2: Dr Eggman's Mean Bean Machine

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on** ** _Sonic Mania!_** **Team Sonic began searching Green Hill for the Hard-Boiled Heavies and the ruby when Dr. Eggman showed up in a Death Egg Robot, intent of stealing the ruby for himself. After a difficult battle, Team Sonic managed to defeat Eggman, but found themselves teleported away by the ruby's power. Having found themselves in a new location, Team Sonic continues their search for Eggman.**

 **Author's Note: I put up a poll on my profile regarding my upcoming novelization of _Sonic Forces_. I would very much like your input on it. The poll will stay open until the end of this story, so take a look at it when you get a chance.**

"Data Log entry 001." Eggman began to dictate in his audio tape. Eggman had spent hours attempting to research the ruby. So far, his success has been minimal. He stared at the ruby, which was floating in a tube. "Any and all attempts to analyze the ruby have been met with failure." he continued. "The energy signature given off by this thing is so alien that the computer can't get an accurate reading on it. What I can gather, however, is that the ruby's energy output is indeed strong. Far stronger than the Chaos Emeralds and possibly even stronger than the Master Emerald."

Eggman walked to the Hard-Boiled Heavies, who were strapped to metal slabs. Next to each one was a computer screen that was monitoring their diagnostics. "What's more, the ruby's energy was strong enough to transform my Hard-Boiled Heavies into new forms and granted them powers and abilities far beyond what I gave them on top of granting them sentience. Also, the ruby is capable of teleporting people and objects to different locations, implying it has the power to warp space and time. Due to its mysterious and elusive nature, I have decided to name it the Phantom Ruby."

"Conclusion: I believe that the Phantom Ruby can not only be a revolutionary new energy source, but a potent weapon if researched properly." With that, Eggman turned off the recorder. "Well, one thing's for sure: If I'm going to take over the world, I'm going to need my Hard-Boiled Heavies." Eggman pressed the button on his wristwatch and the Hard-Boiled Heavies whirred to life. And they quickly broke into furious shouts of protests when they realized they were chained.

"Release us at once!" the King Eggrobo demanded.

"Yeah, let us go!" The Cop Eggrobo shouted.

"Let me out! I need to ride!" The Knight Eggrobo pleaded.

"You can't keep a star like me chained up like this!" The Magician Eggrobo shouted.

"I will not be caged like some animal!" The Ninja Eggrobo protested.

"Quiet!" Eggman shouted. "Let's get something straight here: The Phantom Ruby may have granted you your powers, but you do _not_ have free will. You are _my_ creations and you will do as _I_ command."

"Why should we?" the Heavy King asked. In response, Eggman flashed a malevolent smile. "Rather than waste time _explaining_ , why don't I just _show_ you?" he replied. "Oh Eggrobo 21153? Could you come in here, please? I require an example." An Eggrobo floated into the room. "An example of what, sir?" the Eggrobo asked. Eggman imputed a command into his wristwatch and without warning, the self-destruct mechanism in the Eggrobo's head activated and the Eggrobo exploded into pieces.

The Hard-Boiled Heavies gasped in terror. "I think I just leaked myself." the Cop Eggrobo said.

" _Now_ I think we understand each other." Eggman said. "Anyone who disobeys me, anyone who fails me, anyone who just _annoys_ me goes... _boom_. So, are you with me, or against me?" The other four Heavies, clearly scared out of their electronic minds, turned to the Heavy King, who glared at Eggman. After what felt like an eternity, the Heavy King finally answered. "We are at your service... doctor."

"Excellent!" Eggman exclaimed. "See? You _can_ make a smart decision when you try." Eggman imputed a command on his wristwatch that released the Heavies from their bonds. Now then, I suppose I should give you all new names." Eggman first turned to the Ninja Eggrobo. "You've been granted skill in Ninjitsu. So, I think I'll call you the Heavy Shinobi." He then turned to the Cop Eggrobo. "You have the ability to summon and use different firearms. I'll call you the Heavy Gunner."

Eggman next turned to the Knight Eggrobo. "You're quite skilled at riding that little Motobug. I'll call you the Heavy Rider." He turned to the Magician Eggrobo. "The Phantom Ruby gave you powerful magic spells, so you'll be known as the Heavy Magician." Finally, he turned to the King Eggrobo. "And for your steadfast leadership, I shall call you the Heavy King. So, what do you think of your new names?"

The Heavies looked at each other for a few seconds, then the Heavy Gunner said, "Those names are stupid!"

"Yeah, we want new names!" The Heavy Magician said. " _Cooler_ names! Names that have pizazz!"

"Like _what?_ " Eggman asked. At that moment, the Heavy Rider zoomed by Eggman on her Motobug, nearly knocking him to the ground. The Heavy Rider rode around the room. "Born with a steering wheel in her hand and lead in her foot, she is the _Knight Rider!_ " she cackled. " _Cruising_ at the _speed_ of _fright!_ I'm the Knight Rider, baby! It's me and Jimmy, and we ain't _never_ coming back! HAHAHA!'

As Eggman composed himself and rose to his feet, the Heavy Shinobi appeared behind him, startling him again and causing him to crawl away from the ninja robot. "I am the silent death." The Shinobi said. "If you never see me, then you are not my prey. If you _do_ see me, then it is already too late. For I am Frostblade, Ninja of the Frozen Tundra. And the cold steel of my blade, Yamato, shall be the last thing you see."

At that moment, the Heavy Magician appeared in a flash of confetti. "Introducing the _amazing_ Spellbinder!" she declared with aplomb. "Mechanical Mistress of the Mystic Arts! Don't get on my bad side or I'll make _you_ disappear!"

"You can call me..." The Heavy Gunner brandished a missile launcher. "...the Blaster Master!"

Eggman turned to the Heavy King, who just looked on at the antics of his teammate's with a cold stare, his arms folded across his chest. "And _your_ over-the-top nickname?" Eggman asked.

"Metal King." Came the robot's stern reply.

"That's it?" Eggman asked. "No dramatics?" The Metal King gave no reply. "Fine. Now that we've gotten to know each other, let's get to work! The world's not going to conquer itself!" At that moment, an alarm began to sound from the computer, which displayed a map of the Chemical Plant.

"Intruders at the Chemical Plant?" Eggman asked. "I'd better check it out. You five stay here and await further orders. And don't touch anything!" With that, Eggman grabbed the Phantom Ruby and ran out the room, leaving the Heavies alone. "So that's it? We just do what that guy says?" Blaster Master asked.

"We have no choice." Frostblade said. "As long as Eggman has his finger on the detonator, he could kill us at any moment."

"Frostblade is correct." Metal King said. "For now, we will play the servant. But rest assured, my brothers. Eggman _will_ slip up. And when he does, we will crush him!"

* * *

 **Meanwhile, at the Chemical Plant...**

The space began to distort as Team Sonic fell down from the sky. Landing on the ground,. the trio looked around to find themselves in the Chemical Plant. The sky was darkened by the pollution coming from the plant. A substance called Mega Mack poured out of the drains. " _Now_ , where are we?" Knuckles asked.

"That ruby transported us to the Chemical Plant." Tails said.

"And far away from Eggman." Sonic added. "There's no telling where he could be."

"No worries, Sonic!" Tails said. "I slapped a tracker on Eggman before we got sent here. We'll be able to track him no matter where he goes." Tails pulled out his Miles Electric. "It looks like he's somewhere in the Chemical Plant. And I'll bet he has the ruby with him."

"Great job, Tails!" Sonic said. "Now let's go, guys! We got an egg to scramble!" Before the trio could proceed, however, they were stopped by a strange robot. The robot resembled a metallic gray sphere with yellow and black hazard stripes on the upper half, a red Eggman Empire logo with a red "X" underneath it on the front, and a blue bottom. It also had four prominent prongs on it, one on the top and three on the bottom, each one with internal yellow and blue components.

"Must be a security robot." Tails said.

"I'll smash it!" Knuckles said as he prepared to attack the robot. In response, the robot fired a blast of Mega Mack from one of its lower prongs at the echidna, knocking him to the ground. "Knuckles!" Tails rushed to his friend's aid, but the security droid fired a net from one of its other prongs, ensnaring both Tails and Knuckles. "Guys!" Sonic rushed to free his friends, but the droid fired another wad of Mega Mack at him, knocking him to the ground.

With Sonic incapacitated, the droid flew off with Tails and Knuckles in tow. Sonic shook off the Mega Mack and chased after the droid. When the robot began flying higher in the air, Sonic least at the droid and grabbed the net as he frantically attempted to free Tails and Knuckles. Unfortunately, that only resulted in the robot flying faster, wildly swinging the net in an attempt to throw Sonic off.

The Blue Blur held on for dear life as he was tossed around. "It's like riding a bucking bronco with wings!" Sonic shouted. The robot eventually saw a pipe and began to rapidly spin in place before throwing Sonic into the pipe. Sonic curled into a ball in order to fit in the pipe and found himself propelled forward. Unable to do anything else in his current position, Sonic simply went with the flow as was carried all around the Chemical Plant.

After what felt like an eternity, Sonic fell into a dimly-lit room. A spotlight shined on him, forcing him to cover his eyes. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that he was in a cabin with an adjustable console and trap door on the bottom. The area around the cabin was made up of gray metal with and yellow and black hazard stripes and pipes with blue Mega Mack flowing through them. On the left and right side of the section were large tanks with pipes.

Eggman was standing right next to him in a cabin of his own. "Welcome, Sonic." Eggman greeted. "Nice of you to quite literally drop in."

"Where are my friends, Eggman?!" Came Sonic's enraged reply.

"Right over there." Eggman pulled out a remote control and pressed a button, causing another spotlight to reveal Tails and Knuckles tied together and suspended from the ceiling by a rope. "As you can see, they decided to hang around for a while." the mad doctor chuckled.

"Yo, Sonic, a little help here?" Knuckles asked.

"Sorry, Sonic. We really messed up." Tails said.

"Let them go." Sonic said, his voice brimming with anger despite his stern tone.

"I would _love_ to..." Eggman began. " _If_ you can defeat me in a battle of wits."

"I'm not in the mood for your twisted games." Sonic curtly replied.

"Oh, but this is one game you _will_ play." Eggman said. "If you value their lives." Eggman pulled out a remote control and pressed a button, causing the floor to open up underneath Tails and Knuckles that revealed that the two were dangling over a vat of boiling Mega Mack. "As you can see, your friends are hanging over a vat of Mega Mack." Eggman explained. "This one, however, is laced with acid. Refuse to play our game and they'll be taking the last bath of their lives. And if you try to attack me or leave your cabin, they die."

Sonic growled, but ultimately relented. "What game?" he asked.

"A game of my own invention." Eggman replied. "A game of Mean Bean Machine! The rules are simple: The objective is to keep your tank clear of Puyos by linking Puyos of the same color together, which will cause Garbage Puyos to appear on your opponent's board, preventing them from linking their Puyos together. The one with the least amount of Puyos wins. If you win, you get your friends back."

" _And_ the ruby?" Sonic replied.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, hedgehog." Eggman said. "And to make the game more interesting, there's a five-minute time limit." He pointed to a small torch near the rope holding Tails and Knuckles. "It will take five minutes for that blowtorch to burn through that rope. If you don't beat the game in five minutes, the rope will cut and drop your friends to their death. Also, underneath your control cabin is a trap door. When the time runs out, the door opens and you'll fall into your own vat of acidic Mega Mack."

"Playing for high stakes, huh Eggman?" Sonic chuckled. "Alright, game on! Prepare to lose!"

"It will be _your_ loss, you blue vermin." Eggman activated the timer and the two began their game. Puyos of various colors began to drop into their tanks. Sonic quickly took the lead and began linking Puyos together at a rapid rate, causing them to disappear from the board. Despite this being his first time playing the game, it was clear Sonic was a quick study.

Eggman, on the other hand... wasn't doing so well. While he was clearing Puyos at a pretty fast rate, it wasn't enough for him to keep up with Sonic. Even worse, Sonic clearing his board was causing Garbage Puyos to appear on his board, making it harder to link regular Puyos together. It seemed that Eggman didn't take Sonic's super speed into account, nor did he consider the fact that Sonic would be a quick study.

"Come on, Sonic, you can beat him!" Tails cheered.

"You better not lose, Sonic!" Knuckles threatened. "Or I'll come back from the dead and kick your butt!"

As Eggman and Sonic continued their game, the timer wound down to the last two minutes. Before the timer ran out, however, Eggman's board was filled with Garbage Puyos, causing an alarm to sound. The trap door underneath Eggman's console opened up and the doctor fell through a pipe. "Curses!" the doctor screamed.

"Sonic, the timer's still going!" Tails screamed. Sonic smashed his way out of the cabin and Spin Dashed towards the two, cutting the rope and grabbing them before they fell into the vat of Mega Mack. "That was a close one!" Tails said. "Thanks, Sonic. I thought we were goners!"

"Where's Eggman go?" Knuckles asked. "You don't think he...?"

"Eggman's harder to kill than you think." Sonic said.

"Eggman's still alive." Tails said, looking at his Miles Electric. "And it seems he's on the move."

"Of course Eggman would have an escape route." Sonic said.

"Don't worry, guys!" Tails said. "That pipe there should lead us to where Eggman is."

"Well, what are we standing around here for?" Knuckles asked. "Let's go!" The trio jumped into the pipe and found themselves speeding towards the next area.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Lights, Camera, Danger! Next time on Sonic Mania! Team Sonic finds themselves in the extravagant Studiopolis Zone. However, all is not well in the city that never sleeps. One of the Hard-Boiled Heavies, Blaster Master, is here terrorizing the civilians in hopes of making a movie. It's up to Team Sonic to stop the crazed robot.**


	4. Chapter 3: Lights! Camera! Danger!

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Sonic Mania! After being transported to the Chemical Plant by the Phantom Ruby, Tails and Knuckles were captured by Eggman to force Sonic into a deadly game of Mean Bean Machine. Despite the doctor's most devious efforts, Sonic manages to defeat Eggman at his own game. Now Team Sonic has arrived in Studiopolis Zone to continue the hunt for Eggman and the Phantom Ruby.**

 **Author's note: Don't forget to vote in my poll regarding my upcoming _Sonic Forces_ novelization.**

Team Sonic emerged from a manhole and found themselves in an extravagant city. As far as the eye could see, there were skyscrapers everywhere and neon lights lit up the night sky. The streets were filled with people walking about and cars passed through the highways. Lining the roads were street lamps. There were giant popcorn machines, shops filled with TV screens, giant clapperboards, LED marquee letters spelling out various phrases, vans equipped with satellite dishes, and TV director chairs.

"What _is_ this place?" Knuckles asked as he gazed at his surroundings with complete awe. He looked like a child who just moved to a new place.

"This is Studiopolis Zone." Tails explained. "The City That Never Sleeps. Some of the most famous people in the world get their start here."

"Ahh, Studiopolis, _my_ Studiopolis!" Sonic dramatically exclaimed with outstretched arms. "If I can make it _here_ , I can make it _anywhere!_ "

"Haven't you ever been here before, Knuckles?" Tails asked.

"No." Knuckles replied somberly, lowering his head. "I've been on Angel Island all my life, always guarding the Master Emerald. I've never been anywhere else."

"Well, there's no time to take in the sights." Sonic said. "We've got an Eggman to poach."

"Don't worry, Sonic!" Tails said. "My tracker's still on Eggman! No matter where he goes, we'll find him!" Tails fiddled with the Miles Electric. "And the tracker says he's... that way!"

"Lead the way, Tails!" Sonic said as the three of them began to wander into the city. Unbeknown to them, however, they were being watched from above by a flying camera. On a nearby rooftop, there was Blaster Master and his battalion of Eggrobos. "Alright, boys!" Blaster Master exclaimed with glee. "This is the performance of a lifetime! Our tour de force! Me, a lone policeman, attempting to protect his beloved city from the evils of Sonic the Hedgehog! It's gonna be a blockbuster!"

" _Quit messing around!_ " Eggman's voice screamed through Blaster Master's built-in communicator. " _Remember your mission: Keep Sonic and his friends distracted and keep them away from my studio laboratory_."

"Yeah, yeah, I remember." Blaster Master dismissively replied. "Doesn't mean I can't have fun." He turned to his battalion of Eggrobos, one of whom was carrying a camera. "Okay, boys! You know what to do. And make sure you catch every moment." Blaster Master hopped into the nearby helicopter where another Eggrobo was at the wheel. The helicopter rose into the air and took off with the three Eggrobos following behind on their jetpacks.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Team Sonic continued to search for Eggman when suddenly Tails came to a complete halt, staring at his Miles Electric with a puzzled expression. "Something on your mind, Tails?" Sonic asked.

"It's odd." Tails said. "I'm detecting the ruby's energy and... it's heading straight for us!"

"Maybe Eggman's finally come to his senses and surrendered." Knuckles said smugly. Sonic was about to reply when suddenly, his quills began to shudder and tingle. It was a bit of a tic of his, and usually a warning that danger was imminent. Sonic turned to see a blue missile heading straight for them!

"Guys, scatter!" Sonic yelled as he pushed the two out of the path of the incoming missile, causing it to fly into a nearby store, destroying it and causing the crowd nearby to scatter in panic. " _Man_ , that was close!" Tails said. "Nice save, Sonic!"

"The heck was _that?!_ " Knuckles said.

"Freeze, punks!" A voice called. Team Sonic looked to find themselves surrounded by Eggrobos. At that moment, a spotlight shined on them as a helicopter descended from above. Hanging on the door of the helicopter was Blaster Master. Holding a megaphone, the Eggrobo shouted, "Sonic the Hedgehog! You and your friends have been declared enemies of the state! Surrender now! I have been authorized to use lethal force! You hear me, Hedgehog?! _Lethal!_ _Force!_ "

Blaster Master lowered the megaphone and turned to the Eggrobo next to him holding a camera. "How was that? Was it good, or needed some more work?" he asked. The Eggrobo gave a thumbs-up in response.

"Sonic, that's one of the robots from Angel Island!" Tails exclaimed. "The ruby's energy signature is coming from him!"

"Where's Eggman?!" Sonic demanded.

"Watch your tone, _criminal_ , you are addressing an officer of the law!" Blaster Master replied. "Last chance: Surrender or be destroyed!"

"How about a third option: We turn you into scrap!" Sonic and Knuckles both dropped into fighting stances. "Guys, wait!" Tails cried. "There are too many people here! We need to get somewhere safe!"

"You're right." Sonic said. He looked up at the nearby highway. "There! Hey Robocop! Catch us if you can!" The trio leapt onto the upper road and sped off. "After them!" Blaster Master ordered. The battalion of Eggrobos swarmed after Team Sonic, opening fire with their guns. "We're way outnumbered!" Knuckles said as they dodged the laser shots.

"I've got a plan, but it's gonna take a bit." Tails replied. "Can you two stall them?"

"Can do, Tails!" Sonic said. "Let's go, Knuckles!" Knuckles nodded and the two charged at the swarm of Eggrobos. Using his powerful fists, Knuckles easily swatted the Eggrobos. Sonic, using his Spin Dash, smashed his way through the hordes of robots. All the while, Tails fiddled with his Miles Electric. "Almost... And now!" A wave of energy erupted from the handheld device as the Eggrobos suddenly deactivated.

"Awesome! Nothing like a good old EMP to turn the tide of battle!" Tails exclaimed.

"Surprised you didn't cut the power to half the city with that!" Sonic said.

"Don't worry, it was tuned to only affect those Eggrobos." Tails replied. "The bad news is that I could only use it once."

"You ruined my movie!" Blaster Master screamed, having flown out of the EMP's range. "You'll _**pay**_ for that!" Blaster Master pulled out his missile launcher and fired a missile not at Team Sonic, but at the nearby train tracks just as a train filed with people roared through. "The people on that train are gonna be killed!" Tails shouted.

"Knuckles, stop that train!" Sonic commanded.

"I'm all over it!" Knuckles said as he glided to he train, using his dreadlocks to catch the air. Once he got in front of the train, he grabbed the train and dug his feet to the ground, causing the train to grind to a complete stop right before it reached the hole. Blaster Master fired another missile at Knuckles, but Sonic jumped in front of him and kicked the missile back at the Eggrobo.

Panicking, Blaster Master jumped off the helicopter just as the missile hit, destroying the helicopter. "Time to make my exit stage left!" Blaster Master said as he flew off in his jetpack.

"Oh no, you don't!" Sonic said as he jumped towards Tails, who carried him into the air and spun him around before launching him right at Blaster Master. Using his Spin Dash, he smashed right through Blaster Master, killing him instantly. Sonic landed on the ground as Tails and Knuckles landed next to him. "Looks like the show's over for him." Sonic said.

At that moment, cheers and applause erupted from the crowd, who had been watching the whole fight. Sonic took a bow in response. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, you're far too kind." he said. Tails got a signal from his Miles Electric. "Tracker's picking up Eggman again." he said. "Let's go!"

The three of them sped off from the crowd as they followed the signal.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, in Eggman's studio laboratory...**_

"Blast it all." Eggman said as he looked through the monitor, having been watching the fight between Blaster Master and Team Sonic. "So hard to find good help these days. And those meddling rodents will be here soon." He turned to the Phantom Ruby, which was being held in a tube. "And to make matters worse, the computer was unable to complete its analysis on the Phantom Ruby. I was hoping the computer here would have better luck than the one at home. Guess, I was wrong."

He grabbed the Phantom Ruby and hopped in his Egg-Mobile. But just as he was about to leave, Sonic's voice called out. "It's over, Eggman!" Sonic said. "There's nowhere to run! Hand over the ruby!"

"You mean the _Phantom_ Ruby." Eggman said.

"Whatever!" Sonic said. "Just give us the ruby and we leave!"

"Oh, but you can't leave yet!" Eggman said. "I haven't shown you my studio! This is where I make my personal TV channel, Egg TV. We have everything from cartoons, to movies, to sports, to news, and even... weather." On the last word, Eggman pressed a button on his Egg-Mobile, causing it to transform. A glass dome covered the cockpit while a gray casing covered the bottom part. A lightning rod also protruded from the bottom. Spinning blue windmill plates emerged from the sides of the Egg-Mobile.

Eggman pressed another button and the TV screen in the room showed an image of a Cluckoid holding a microphone. "Ah, Mr. Cluckoid!" Eggman said. "What's the weather report, good sir?"

"Well, doctor, we're in for some crazy weather!" the Cluckoid replied. "First, we're predicting a massive heatwave!" At that moment, a thermometer appeared on the TV screen, showing the temperature to be a staggering 585° degrees. That's when a miniature sun descended from the ceiling and began firing lasers at the trio.

"Scatter!" Sonic said as the trio began dodging the sweeping lasers.

"A weather controlling machine?!" Tails exclaimed. "I'd be impressed if I wasn't so terrified!"

"Less talking, more dodging!" Sonic said as they avoided the burning lasers. Eventually, the miniature sun went away as the TV screen turned on again. "And that's only the beginning, doctor!" the Cluckoid said. "After that killer heatwave, we'll next endure a monstrous thunderstorm!" That's when a large thundercloud began to materialize in the room and began firing lightning bolts at the trio.

"Two can play that game!" Knuckles said as electricity gathered in his hands. "Thunder Arrow!" Knuckles fired lightning bolts from his hands, countering the lightning fired from the cloud. "Nice move, Knuckles!" Sonic cheered. Knuckles continued to deflect the lightning bolts until the cloud finally disappeared.

"Oh, but we're not safe yet!" the Cluckoid chimed in. "The forecast calla for a mighty windstorm!" The floor opened up to reveal large fans. The fans activated and created a powerful updraft that lifted Team Sonic off the ground. The three of them grabbed on to the poles protruding from each side of the TV screen. The ceiling opened up to reveal a line of spikes. "Hang on, guys!" Sonic shouted.

"It's no use!" Eggman cackled. "You're all going to be shish kebab! It's over!" As the trio hung on for dear life, they could feel their grip slipping. Knuckles, however, noticed the lightning rod on the underside of Eggman's Egg-Mobile. "Only one shot at this!" Knuckles said. "Thunder Arrow!" Knuckles fired a lightning bolt at the Egg-Mobile, which the lightning rod absorbed, short-circuiting the Egg-Mobile and electrocuting Eggman himself.

With the control module shorted out, the fans slowed to a halt, allowing Team Sonic to land safely on the ground. "Nice one, Knuckles!" Tails said to Knuckles, who gave a thumbs-up in response.

"Sorry, Eggman, but it looks like you've been canceled!" Sonic said.

"Blast you..." Eggman growled. Before he could do anything, however, his cellphone rang. "Hand on, I need to take this." He pulled out his cellphone. "Hello?" he asked.

" _Uncle, it's me, Omelette_." Omelette answered. " _I have the Chaos Emeralds and I'm heading to your position now._ "

"Splendid! I'm on my way!" Eggman said as he hung up. "Well, boys, I'd love to stay and play, but I have a rather pressing engagement and I can't be late! Ta ta for now!" Eggman flew away in his Egg Mobile. An emergency broadcast played on the TV, showing the Flying Battery passing right outside the studio.

"We can't let Eggman get away!" Sonic said. "After him!" The trio ran outside and leapt onto the Flying Battery as it rose high into the sky, flying over Studiopolis.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Sky High Shenanigans! Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ Team Sonic makes their way through the Flying Battery to retrieve the Phantom Ruby, but they must first contend with Eggman's niece, Omelette. Can the trio defeat her and put an end to Eggman's schemes? Find out on the next exciting chapter of _Sonic Mania!_**


	5. Chapter 4 Sky High Shenanigans!

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on _Sonic Mania!_ Arriving in the extravagant Studiopolis Zone, Team Sonic resumed their hunt for Eggman and the Phantom Ruby. Despite rescuing civilians from one of the Hard-Boiled Heavies and surviving Eggman's studio death trap, the trio were unable to stop Eggman from escaping onboard the Flying Battery. Now Team Sonic must board the aircraft and stop Eggman.**

 **Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I was fighting a cold. Also, I decided to delete the poll on my profile page since nobody was voting in it. I'll just make my _Sonic Forces_ novelization a two-parter, one part dealing with the prequels and the other dealing with the main game.**

 **Just For Fun: Since Omelette is the main character in this chapter, I recommend reading her lines in the voice of Viridi from _Kid Icarus: Uprising._**

"Well, we made it onto the Flying Battery." Knuckles said. "What's our next move?"

"We need to get to the control room!" Tails replied. "Eggman's sure to be there! Let me scan the schematics." Tails pulled out his Miles Electric and began fiddling with it. But that's when his eyebrows perked up in surprise. "That's... odd."

"What is it, Tails?" Sonic asked.

"I'm detecting eight distinct energy signatures." Tails replied. "One of them is stronger than the others, though."

"Eight energy signatures?" Sonic asked. "Well, we know one of them is the Phantom Ruby, but what are the other seven?"

"I think I know." Knuckles said. He closed his eyes and placed his hand on the ground as a green aura surrounded him. Due to his spiritual connection to the Master Emerald, he could sense its presence and the presence of the Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles opened his eyes in shock. "Just as I thought: The Chaos Emeralds are here!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"The Chaos Emeralds?!" Tails asked. "Eggman has all the Chaos Emeralds?!"

"Apparently." Knuckles replied. "This is bad. Eggman having one gemstone of incredible power is bad enough, but there's no telling what he can do with eight gemstones of incredible power!"

"Then there's not a moment to lose!" Sonic said. "We gotta get the Emeralds and the Ruby away from Eggman! Let's do it, to it! Come on!" The three of them made their way inside the Flying Battery.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, in the control room...**_

"Here's the Chaos Emeralds, uncle." Omelette said as she handed Eggman a white briefcase containing the Chaos Emeralds. "By the way, any luck with the Phantom Ruby?"

"Not really." Eggman replied. "The computer in Studiopolis was unable to fully analyze the ruby."

"Why not let me try?" Omelette asked.

"There's no time!" Eggman replied. "Sonic and his friends are no doubt onboard the Flying Battery. I'll take the Chaos Emeralds and the Phantom Ruby to our base in the Press Garden Zone. Meanwhile, you need to stay here and keep those rodents occupied."

"Oh goody!" Omelette giggled. "I do so _love_ entertaining guests!" Eggman nodded and hopped into his Egg-Mobile. "I'm counting on you, Eggatha." he said as he flew off. Omelette waved goodbye to Eggman, then she went to the computer. "Now, where are my uninvited guests?" she asked as she cycled through the security monitors. Eventually, she caught sight of the trio.

"Ah, so they're in the disposal area, huh?" a smirk tugged at Omelette's lips. "Well, time to take out the trash..."

* * *

Team Sonic made their way through the Flying Battery when Knuckles suddenly stopped and looked around. "Something wrong, Knuckles?" Sonic asked.

"The Chaos Emeralds." Knuckles replied. "I can't sense their presence."

"Knuckles is right, Sonic." Tails said as he pulled out the Miles Electric. "The Chaos Emeralds and the Phantom Ruby are gone."

"What does _that_ mean?" Sonic asked.

" _What it means is that you're a little too late_." A girl's voice came through on the intercom. A monitor emerged from the ceiling displaying the image of a young girl. From the look of it, she couldn't be any older than 12. She had wild, spiky brown hair and wore a gold tiara decorated with a red gemstone. Her outfit consisted of a dress with a black top that had a yellow collar and white buttons. The bottom half of the dress was red and decorated with a yellow star. She also wore white gloves, black pants, and blue pince-nez glasses like Eggman.

"So you're the famous Sonic the Hedgehog." The girl said, adjusting her glasses. "We meet at last."

"And _you_ are?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, that's right." the girl said. "This is our first meeting, after all. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Eggatha Omelette Robotnik. Or Omelette, for short. Dr. Robotnik's loyal apprentice and adoring niece."

" _NIECE?!_ " the trio screamed in unison, completely stunned by the revelation that Eggman actually had family. "Oh God, it's the ultimate nightmare scenario, Tails!" Sonic said, frantically shaking Tails' shoulders. "Eggman's multiplying!"

"Ah, there it is." Omelette chuckled. "That classic Sonic snark. How adorably charming. Anywho, if you're looking for Uncle Robotnik, I'm afraid you're too late. He's taken the Chaos Emeralds and the Phantom Ruby to our base. He's probably long gone by now."

"Tell us where Eggman is!" Knuckles demanded.

"You're hardly in a position to demand _anything_ , rodent." Omelette said. "And besides, you three have more _pressing_ matters to attend to." Omelette pressed a button and the floor opened up, causing Team Sonic to fall into the pit below. The trio landed in a pile of discarded robots. "Where are we now?" Sonic asked.

"Guys, I think this is a... trash compactor." Tails said. At that second, the walls began to close in on the three of them. " _That's_ _right!_ " Omelette cackled. " _In a few minutes, you'll be crushed like tin cans! Bye bye, Sonic! Don't forget to recycle!_ "

"I _really_ don't like that girl!" Knuckles said.

"Everyone, hug the walls!" Sonic ordered. Knuckles ran to one wall and began pushing against it while Sonic and Tails ran to the opposite wall and began pushing against it as well. Despite their best efforts, however, the walls continued to close in. "Sonic, this isn't working!" Knuckles said.

"Tails, we need a plan!" Sonic said.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Tails replied. That's when the young fox looked up to see an electromagnet hanging above the compactor. It seemed inactive for the most part. "I bet that controls the compactor." Tails said. "If that's the case..." Tails pulled out a few Dummy Ring Bombs and threw them at the electromagnet, destroying it completely. With the electromagnet gone, the walls slowly ground to a halt.

"Glad that's over." Knuckles said.

"Nice one, Tails!" Sonic said.

" _Well aren't you a clever little fox_." Omelette chimed in.

"So much for your trash compactor." Sonic said. "What are you gonna do now?"

" _Well, I'm going to hang up now._ " Omelette replied. " _But not without leaving you with an old saying: It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop. Bon Voyage, Sonic_." The intercom clicked off. Sonic and the gang looked at each other with confused expressions. Unfortunately, they didn't have much time to ponder Omelette's words as the floor opened up underneath them, causing the trash and the team to fall out of the Flying Battery.

Sonic grabbed onto Tails' legs and Knuckles grabbed onto Sonic's legs with Tails using his twin tails to keep the trio aloft. "The Flying Battery's getting away!" Knuckles said.

"Don't worry, Knuckles!" Tails replied. "I'm calling for backup!" Tails imputed a command on his Miles Electric and suddenly, the Tornado came flying in. The trio hopped into the biplane with Tails at the wheel, Sonic standing on the wing, and Knuckles riding on the tail. "Alright, guys!" Tails said. "Let's fly!" The Tornado sped off after the Flying Battery.

Back on the airship, Omelette reclined in her chair feeling pretty pleased with herself. And she had every right to be. She just defeated her uncle's greatest nemesis after all. Just as the young scientist was about to fall asleep, she was rudely awakened by the blare of the alarm. "What's going on?!" she asked as she scanned through the Battery's exterior cameras. That's when she caught sight of the Tornado flying behind the Battery.

"Persistent little bugs." Omelette mumbled out. "Badniks, report! Take out that plane!" A swarm of Buzz Bombers and Eggrobos soon flew outside to meet the Tornado and opened fire on the biplane.

"Tails, we got enemies incoming!" Sonic shouted.

"I see them, Sonic!" Tails replied. "Returning fire!" Tails began firing on the robot horde with the Tornado's machine guns, shooting down a great number of them. Knuckles, meanwhile, jumped onto the wing of the Tornado and began using his Thunder Arrow, firing lightning bolts at the Badniks. Sonic, on the other hand, simply used his Spin Attack and launched himself at the Badnik horde, using the Armadiloids as stepping stones as he smashed his way through the robots.

Omelette watched as Team Sonic fought their way through the Badnik horde, pulling her hair in frustration. "Useless piles of scrap!" she shouted. "I'm not done yet! Cannons converge! Shoot them down!" The cannons and turrets on the Flying Battery began firing on the Tornado. "Hang on, guys!" Tails shouted. Using his piloting skills, he artfully avoided the enemy fire while retaliating with the Tornado's missiles, destroying the Flying Battery's turrets and cannons. All the while, Sonic and Knuckles hung onto the wings of the Tornado.

Back on the Flying Battery, Omelette banged her head on the computer as she watched Team Sonic destroy the Flying Battery's artillery. "Stupid vermin!" she shouted. "I'll have to do this myself!" She got off her chair and walked over to a nearby elevator where a giant spider robot awaited her. She hopped into the robot's cockpit and the robot whirred to life. The elevator activated and carried the robot straight to the roof of the Flying Battery.

Outside, the team watched as Omelette emerged with her spider robot. "Looks like the little girl's come out to play." Sonic teased. "Let's not keep her waiting!" Sonic and Knuckles jumped off the plane and landed on the Flying Battery. "Give it up, Omelette!" Sonic said. "It's over!"

"You know what they say about fat ladies and singing, right?" Omelette retorted. "Now, taste my electro venom!" Omelette shot a blast of electricity from the Spider Robot's mandibles, forcing the trio to scatter. Sonic used his Spin Attack and launched himself at the Spider Robot, only for the robot to spin around and strike Sonic with its red star-decorated abdomen. Sonic was about to get up when suddenly, the robot fired a blast of webbing from its abdomen, trapping Sonic in place.

"Now _**die**_ , Sonic!" Omelette fired another blast of electricity at Sonic, but Knuckles jumped in front of him and fired his Thunder Arrow. The two engaged in a beam struggle, each trying to overpower the other. Knuckles eventually won the struggle and used his Thunder Arrow to short out the Spider Robot. Omelette frantically struggled to get the robot moving while Knuckles used the distraction to land a solid uppercut on the robot, flipping it over.

Sonic freed himself from the webbing and tried to attack the Spider Robot from above, but at the last second, Omelette fired a string of webbing and pulled herself onto a large propeller. She tried to get to higher ground only to be shot off the propeller by Tails in the Tornado. As the Spider Robot fell to the ground, Knuckles shot into the air and spun like a drill, piercing through the robot and smashing it to pieces.

The Spider Robot's head fell to the ground and Omelette rolled out of the cockpit, covered in soot and coughing. Sonic, Knuckles and Tails walked up next to her. "No more running, Omelette." Tails said. "Tell us where Eggman is!"

"No wonder my uncle hates you." Omelette grumbled. "You really are annoying." Omelette pressed a button on her wristwatch and a hole in the floor opened up beneath her, causing her to fall through it. "Oh no you don't!" Knuckles shouted as he ripped open a hole in the floor. The trio jumped into the hole and found themselves sliding through a tube. After going through several twists and turns, the three of them landed in the control room.

"Well, this is the control room." Tails said. "But where's Omelette?"

" _Far away from you, that's for sure!_ " Omelette's voice giggled. " _While you guys headed for the control room, I took an alternative route and headed straight for the escape pods! I'm already long gone!_ "

"Dang it!" Sonic cursed.

" _I know. It sucks, doesn't it?_ " Omelette teased. " _Seeing your goal just within your grasp only to have it snatched away from you. But I have even more bad news: All of the other escape pods have been jettisoned and the Flying Battery's autopilot has been disabled. So, you're basically going to die. Farewell, Team Sonic. It was fun meeting you all. A pity we have to part so soon._ "

Just as the intercom clicked off, a loud explosion rippled through the room. "What the heck was that?!" Sonic asked.

"That sounded like the engines just exploded!" Tails said.

"I _really_ don't like that girl!" Knuckles said.

"Tails?!" Sonic asked. Tails pulled out his Miles Electric and fiddled with it. "No good!" he said. "The controls are write-protected! I can't hack into them!"

"What do we do?!" Knuckles asked in a panic.

"No choice! Gonna have to fly this thing manually!" Tails ran to the steering wheel and began fiddling with the controls. "Guys, strap yourselves in!" Sonic and Knuckles sat down on the chairs next to Tails and put on their seat belts. "So, Tails, you think you can keep this thing from crashing?" Sonic asked.

"No, it's gonna crash no matter what happens!" Tails said. "But I can guide where it crashes! Just be ready to jump!"

"Oh, I wish I had just stayed asleep..." Knuckles groaned.

Outside, the Flying Battery slowly descended into a snowy forest, its engine alight with flame. The monstrous airship crashed to the ground and was destroyed in a tremendous explosion.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Recap: Stop The Presses! Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ Having landed in the Press Garden Zone, Team Sonic resumes their hunt for Eggman and the Phantom Ruby. Along the way, they decide to destroy Eggman's printing press temple. Before they can find Eggman, however, they must first contend with Frostblade, another of the Hard-Boiled Heavies. Can Team Sonic defeat the robotic ninja? Or will the Press Garden Zone be their frozen tomb? Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter of _Sonic Mania!_**


	6. Chapter 5: Stop The Presses!

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Sonic Mania! Team Sonic boarded the Flying Battery in hopes of retrieving the Phantom Ruby and the Chaos Emeralds from the clutches of the evil Dr. Eggman. However, the mad scientist had managed to escape with the mystic gemstones, forcing Team Sonic to contend with his niece, Omelette. Failing to defeat the trio herself, Omelette decided to let the Flying Battery crash in an attempt to kill them all. Find out what happens, now!**

Eggman was in his lab studying the Phantom Ruby when a tremendous explosion rocked the lab, the shockwaves knocking over many of the doctor's beakers. Startled, Eggman hung onto the computer until the shockwaves ceased. "What on earth was _that?!_ " he asked. An Eggrobo appeared on the monitor.

"Doctor, it would appear that the Flying Battery has crash-landed in the forest." The Eggrobo said.

"The Flying Battery..." Eggman's eyes widened in horror. "Eggatha! Is she...?!"

"Do not worry, doctor." the Eggrobo assured him. "The Flying Battery's escaped pods have been jettisoned. I can only surmise that she managed to escape beforehand."

"Oh, thank God." Eggman breathed a sigh of relief. That's when his mind turned to another thought. "What about Sonic and his friends?"

"We have not located their bodies." the Eggrobo replied. "I can only assume they're dead."

"Assume _nothing_!" Eggman replied sternly. "I want confirmation! Bring me their bodies!"

"Acknowledged." the Eggrobo replied as he cut the connection. Eggman went back to the tube containing the Phantom Ruby and began typing in the computer as he continued his analysis of the ruby. Unfortunately, he didn't get far as the computer began beeping while the words, "ANALYSIS INCONCLUSIVE" flashed on the screen.

"Another failure!" Eggman shouted, slamming his fist down on the keyboard. "Curse it all! Times like this make me wish that Little Planet was still around. Maybe its technology could help with this... thing." That's when something extraordinary happened. The Phantom Ruby began radiating crimson electricity, startling Eggman, who immediately ducked for cover. The ruby then emitted a wave of energy that engulfed the surroundings, distorting the space around it. A bright flash rippled from the ruby that quickly dissipated.

What just happened?!" Eggman asked. That's when the computer began beeping. "A signal?" Eggman typed on the keyboard as he attempted to trace the signal. When the trace was complete, Eggman's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed as a malevolent smile tugged at his lips. A low chuckle escaped his throat that quickly grew into a mad cackle of triumph that soon echoed through the room.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, at the crash site...**_

"Keep searching." the lead Eggrobo said. "Dr. Eggman wants their corpses found." The group of Eggrobos searched through the wreckage of the Flying Battery for any sign of Team Sonic. One of the Eggrobos stumbled upon a large pile of snow. The Eggrobo brushed the snow aside and found Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles buried in the snow. "Captain, I have located them." the Eggrobo said.

The other Eggrobos floated towards the unconscious Team Sonic. "Check them." the lead Eggrobo commanded. The Eggrobo placed its hand on Sonic's neck, checking for a pulse. Unfortunately for the robot, Sonic woke up and got to his feet. "Kill him!" the lead Eggrobo commanded. Before they could react, however, Sonic used his Spin Dash and smashed through them, killing them all in one go..

"Nice try, but you're too slow." Sonic said. "Guys, you okay?" Tails and Knuckles awoke from the noise. "Nothing broken, I think." Tails replied. "That was one crazy crash landing, though. Good thing we jumped when we did."

"And it's a good thing you had that Thunder Shield to protect us." Knuckles said. "Where are we now?"

Tails pulled out his Miles Electric. "According to this, we're in the Press Garden Zone." he replied. "This was once an ancient temple, but Eggman converted it into a printing press for his newspaper."

"So Eggman has a newspaper _and_ a TV channel?" Sonic asked. "With all that, you'd think he'd just quit being a villain and go into the media business. Anyway, you think Eggman's around here?"

"Let me check." Tails fiddled with his Miles Electric. "Tracer's still on Eggman! He's definitely around here somewhere. He's most likely in his printing press temple."

"I say instead of chasing Eggman around, we bring him to us!" Knuckles said ."Smashing up his little printing press might do the job."

"Solid plan, Knuckles!" Sonic cheered. "Let's do it, to it!" The three of them ran through the forest until they reached a large temple. Kicking down the door, the three of them walked inside to find themselves in a large newspaper printing house. As far as the eye could see, there were large printing press machines everywhere. All of them were manned by Eggrobos.

"Okay, boys, nothing fancy." Sonic said. "Just cause as much noise as you can! Go!" The three of them scattered about as they began to destroy the printing house. Using his Spin Dash, Sonic smashed his way through several printing presses, destroying them all instantly. The blue hedgehog was surrounded by a group of Eggrobos, but he quickly spun around in place, creating a tornado that sucked them all in before throwing them away.

Knuckles grabbed a printing press and ripped it right out of the ground. When a group of Eggrobos tried to stop him, he just threw it right at them. He then used his Thunder Arrow, firing lightning bolts at the printing equipment.

Tails, meanwhile, took to the air and started tossing ring bombs at the printing equipment when suddenly, a buzzsaw flew his way and embedded itself on the wall, nearly hitting him."What was that?!" The young fox flew to the buzzsaw to inspect it and found that it was made completely of ice. "A buzzsaw made of ice? What could do that?"

"THAT WOULD BE ME." A voice said. Tails turned to see an engine-like robot with a rubber-based pump up front and a gray metal cap on the top and bottom of said pump. The exhausts on these components were seemingly arranged so the front of the robot looks like a face. On its back, it also carried two large freeze tanks, which were connected to its body by black tubes. It also had two round orange shoulders with pole-like gray arms that each carry a circular buzzsaw made of ice.

"Must be the head security bot." Tails said.

"CORRECT. I AM SHIVERSAW." the robot replied. "I AM PROGRAMMED TO DEFEND THIS PRINTING PRESS. THUS, YOU SHALL BE ELIMINATED." Shiversaw tossed its buzzsaws at Tails, who dodged them and retaliated with his ring bombs. The robot blocked the bombs with its ice buzzsaws, causing them to shatter.

"All right!" Tails cheered. His victory was short-lived, however, as Shiversaw quickly regenerated its buzzsaws before extending its telescoping arms at Tails. Tails dodged its arms and tossed more ring bombs at Shiversaw. Shiversaw tossed its buzzsaws at Tails' ring bombs, destroying them before they reached it. It then lunged at Tails with its telescopic arms once again.

"This is getting nowhere fast." Tails said to himself. That's when he saw the freeze tanks on Shiversaw's back. "That just might work." Tails landed on the ground right in front of the wall. "Hey, Shiverbutt! Come and get me!" Tails taunted. Shiversaw lunged at Tails with its telescopic arms only for Tails to jump out of the way, causing them to get stuck in the wall.

Seeing his opening, Tails flew behind Shiversaw and tossed two ring bombs at the freezing tanks on its back, destroying them and encasing Shiversaw in ice. The frozen robot fell to the ground, shattering on impact.

"Nice move, Tails!" Sonic cheered. The moment was short-lived, however, as an alarm rang through the printing house. A steel plating fell in front of the door, trapping them inside. "Tails, what's going on?!"

"It seems destroying that robot activated the self-destruct sequence!" Tails said. "And that was the only way out! We're trapped!"

"Not for long!" Knuckles shouted as he punched a hole in the wall. "Through here!"

"Good going, Knuckles!" Tails said as the trio ran through the hole in the wall and out into the forest just as the printing house was destroyed in a grand explosion. Having taken cover behind some nearby trees, Team Sonic peeked from behind the trees to see the printing house reduced to a smoldering pile of slag.

"Well, I'd say that's mission accomplished." Sonic said.

"That's sure to get Eggman's attention." Tails said.

* * *

 _ **At the lab...**_

"What just happened?!" Eggman shouted. This was the second explosion in the span of an hour. He typed on the computer and accessed the nearby security camera. That's when he saw his printing house was completely destroyed. "My printing house?! But how -?!" He turned the camera downwards and saw Team Sonic. "Those three again?!" Eggman screamed. "How do they keep finding me?!"

"Perhaps because of _this?_ " a voice called out from behind. Startled, Eggman turned around to find Frostblade, the Heavy Shinobi standing right behind him, holding a small object.

"Have mercy on an old man's blood pressure!" Eggman snapped. "Anyway, what's _that?_ "

"A tracer." Frostblade replied as he crushed the tracer in his fingers. "They must have placed it on you sometime earlier."

"So _that_ explains it. Clever little fox." Eggman mused. "Well don't just stand there! Dispose of them!"

"It will be done." Frostblade replied as he threw a smoke bomb on the ground in front of him, disappearing. Eggman, meanwhile, was left coughing. "Warn someone when you're going to do that!" Eggman complained. "I have asthma!"

Recovering from his coughing fit, Eggman went back to his computer, which now showed an image of the mechanized Little Planet and a picture of Metal Sonic...

* * *

Having failed to lure Eggman out of hiding by destroying his printing house, Team Sonic decided to continue looking for Eggman. The team made their way through the beautiful gardens, which were filled with cherry blossoms and ancient architecture. Snow covered the ruins as well the ground, glowing lanterns could seen in the distance, and snow and sakura leaves fell from the sky. It all made for an enchanting sight.

The team waded through the snowy forest, pinpointing Eggman's location with the tracer Tails planted on him in Green Hill, when suddenly Tails received a message on his Miles Electric. "Uh Oh." he said.

"What is it?" Knuckles asked.

"Eggman must have found the tracer." Tails replied. "The signal's gone."

"So we can't track Eggman anymore?!" Sonic asked. "What'll we do now?!"

"Don't worry, Sonic!" Tails said. "According to his last known coordinates, he's still in the Press Garden Zone. If we keep going this way, we can still find him!"

"Well, let's go!" Knuckles said. "The quicker we find Eggman, the sooner we-" Knuckles cut himself off and began looking around, as if he had sensed something.

"Something on your mind, Knuckles?" Sonic asked.

"Did you guys hear something?" Knuckles asked.

"Not really." Sonic replied.

"I didn't hear anything." Tails said.

"Something's wrong, guys!" Knuckles said. "I don't think we're alone here!" Knuckles frantically looked around as he tried to detect this unseen force. "Down!" Knuckles shouted as he pushed Tails and Sonic to the ground just in time to avoid a trio of shurikens flying towards them. Upon closer inspection, they were revealed to be Asterons, little star-shaped badniks.

"Whoa! Nice save, Knuckles!" Sonic said.

"Indeed. To be able to detect my presence is no small feat." a voice said. The trio looked up to find an Eggrobo standing on a tree branch. This Eggrobo was designed to resemble a ninja wearing a green haori with a yellow-triangular cross-pattern chest piece. This yellow cross pattern also appeared on his hand and feet cuffs. He had a black bottom torso, red eyes, gray appendages, and green zōri-like forefeet. He also wore a dark green scarf.

"Guys,.that's another of Eggman's Hard-Boiled Heavies!" Tails said.

"Correct. I am Frostblade, Ninja of the Frozen Tundra." the Eggrobo replied. "You three have been a thorn in the good doctor's side for far too long. Thus, I shall make where you stand your grave." The robotic ninja drew his katana. "Now, prepare to taste the cold steel of my blade Yamato!" he shouted. "May you find eternal rest in this coffin of ice!"

Frostblade jumped down from branch and stabbed his sword into the ground, causing ice spikes to erupt from the ground. The trio dodged the spikes and Sonic used his Spin Attack and dived at Frostblade. Moving with extreme speed, Frostblade dodged Sonic's Spin Attack and tossed several Asterons. Sonic spun in place like a tornado and threw the Asterons back at Frostblade, the Asterons exploding and knocking him back.

Knuckles charged at Frostblade and delivered a set of rapid punches. Matching his speed, Frostblade dodged his punches and tried to slash at him with his sword, but Knuckles backflipped out of the way and fired his Thunder Arrow at Frostblade, electrocuting him and giving Sonic an opening to Spin Dash him through a tree. Tails then threw several Ring bombs at Frostblade, hitting him dead on.

"Is it over?" Tails asked.

"Don't let your guard down!" Knuckles replied.

"Wait till the smoke clears!" Sonic said. When the smoke _did_ clear, however, Frostblade was nowhere to be seen. "He disappeared!" Tails exclaimed.

"Where did he go?!" Sonic asked.

"He could be anywhere!" Knuckles said. "Keep your eyes peeled!" The trio frantically looked around, completely on edge. Suddenly, a beam of ice fired from one of the trees and hit Tails, freezing him solid. "Tails!" Sonic shouted. Before he could react, however, another ice beam shot forth and froze him as well.

"Sonic!" Knuckles shouted. The echidna began firing Thunder Arrows in every direction hoping one of them will hit. " _Calm down_." he thought to himself. " _You're an Echidna warrior. You shouldn't be flying into a panic like this! Calm down and think. This guy obviously has some invisibility power. So don't just rely on your eyes. Use yyour other senses like you were trained to do!_ "

Calming himself down, Knuckles closed his eyes and dropped into a fighting stance. For what seemed like the longest time, Knuckles stood motionless as he concentrated on his surroundings. Sensing something moving behind him, Knuckles quickly turned and threw a punch, seemingly punching a hole in the air. The space distorted around Knuckles' fist, revealing Frostblade with a large gaping hole in his chest that was leaking oil.

"How did you... see through my... shadow technique...?" Frostblade rasped out. Those were his final words before shutting down, his glowing red eyes turning dark.

"Because I'm better trained." Knuckles replied as he threw the Eggrobo to the ground. He then walked over to the frozen Sonic and Tails and gave them each a gentle tap, shattering the ice and freeing them both. "Thanks a lot, Knuckles." Tails said. "Thought I was a goner."

"Next time, I'm vacationing somewhere tropical." Sonic joked. "Anyway, let's get back to finding Eggman! He should still be here, right Tails?"

"Right!" Tails replied. "Last known coordinates place him in that direction! Let's go!" The trio sped off through the scenic gardens with Sonic leading the charge. Eventually, however, their excursion came to a halt as they quite literally hit a wall. "A dead end?" Sonic asked.

"Wait, guys, I hear something." Tails said. The three of them placed their ears on the wall and sure enough, they heard an all too familiar voice on the other side. " _Oh ho ho ho!_ " the voice cackled. " _Such power exceeds even **my** expectations! Ha! My own genius scares me sometimes!_"

"That's Eggman, alright." Sonic whispered. "Knuckles, if you please?" Knuckles walked up to the wall and punched a hole through it. It's over, Eggman!" Sonic declared. "Hand over the ruby!"

Eggman turned to face the trio, the Phantom Ruby in his hand. "Ah, Sonic. You and your friends are just in time." he said with a wide, manic grin.

"Give us the ruby, Eggman!" Tails demanded. "You don't know what kind of power your playing with!"

"Oh I know exactly what kind of power I have." Eggman said. His voice was low and threatening, lacking any of the doctor's usual bombast and aplomb. "At first, I thought this was some mere energy source. But I was wrong, so very wrong. What I hold is the power to reshape the very fabric of this world!"

"What are you talking about, Egghead?" Knuckles asked.

"Rather than waste time explaining myself to simpletons like you, why don't I just give you a demonstration?" The ruby in Eggman's hands began glowing. "GET A LOAD OF THIS!" A wave of red, glitching energy emanated from the ruby, engulfing Team Sonic and lifting them off the ground. "Here we go again!" Sonic said as the space around them began to distort and they disappeared in a flash.

Satisfied, Eggman pulled out his phone. "Eggatha. I'm about to send you some coordinates." he said. "Meet me there. I've got quite the game changer on my hands."

* * *

 **Next** **Chapter Preview: Blast to the Past. Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ Team Sonic find themselves catapulted to Little Planet by the power of the Phantom Ruby. Now the tenacious trio must find a way back to their world to stop Eggman. Meanwhile, an old foe emerges, hungry for revenge. **


	7. Chapter 6: Blast Through The Past!

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on _Sonic Mania!_ Having crash-landed in the Press Garden Zone, Team Sonic resumed their hunt for Eggman and the Phantom Ruby. Along the way, the trio destroyed Eggman's printing house. After defeating another of the Hard-Boiled Heavies, Team Sonic had finally cornered Eggman, but the mad doctor used the ruby's power to transport them somewhere else. Now our heroes find themselves in an all-too familiar place.**

 **Author's Note: Sorry this took so long! I got distracted by other things. And before anyone asks, yes I saw the sneak peek for _Sonic Mania Adventures_ and yes I will novelize it when I'm done with my _Mania_ and _Forces_ novelizations. **

A bright flash of light rippled through the area. When the light faded, Team Sonic looked around and found themselves in an ancient city of some sorts. As far as the eye could see, there were stone buildings everywhere and most of the city had been overtaken by lush vegetation. Fireflies had also made their home here in the empty buildings as they populated the city. Stars and constellations depicting harps, Roman helmets, and strangely enough, Sonic's head littered the night sky.

"I know where this is." Sonic said. "I know _when_ this is."

"What are you talking about, Sonic?" Knuckles asked. "You've been here before?"

"Yeah, this is Stardust Speedway." Sonic replied. "In the past. We're on Little Planet."

"Little Planet?" Knuckles asked. "You mean that planet that appears over Never Lake one month out of every year?"

"That's the one." Sonic said.

"Then that confirms my worse fears." Tails chimed in, having stayed lost in thought for a while. "You guys didn't get a good look at Eggman's computer, huh?"

"What about it?" Knuckles asked.

"I saw a picture of Little Planet on Eggman's computer." Tails explained. "It looked like he was trying to contact something. And remember what he said? That he had the power to reshape the very fabric of this world? Eggman must've used the Phantom Ruby to bring Little Planet into our world."

Seriously?!" Sonic asked. "You don't think he'll go after the Time Stones again, do you?"

"If the Phantom Ruby was able to bring Little Planet into our world ahead of its schedule, then I don't think he'll _need_ to." Tails replied. "Either way, we gotta get that ruby back from Eggman!"

"How do we even _get_ to him?" Knuckles asked. "We're stuck in Little Planet's past!"

"No worries, Knuckles!" Tails said. "We just need to find Time Warp Plate. That should transport us to Little Planet's present. From there, it should be a cinch to find a way off Little Planet." Tails pulled out his Miles Electric and began fiddling with it. "The Time Warp Plates run on the energy of the Time Stones. By locking on to that energy signature... Bingo! There's one that's not too far from here!"

Then let's do it, to it!" Sonic said. "Lead the way, Tails!" The trio sped off through the ancient city, with Tails following the signal on his Miles Electric. Eventually, they reached a large building with a glass dome on the roof. "The signal's coming from here." Tails said. The three of them pushed the door open and walked inside the building, which turned out to be a massive greenhouse filled to the brim with all kinds of exotic plants.

The trio made their way through the greenhouse. All seemed normal at first, but Knuckles began to sense something moving within the plant life. "Guys." Knuckles said. "I got a feeling that we're not alone. Stay on your guard." Team Sonic continued their trek through the greenhouse when suddenly a vine shot out from the flora and grabbed Tails by the ankle while he wasn't looking, carrying him clean into the air.

"Guys, help!" Tails screamed out as he was lifted into the air, struggling and flailing all the way.

"Tails!" Sonic shouted. Using his Spin Dash, Sonic cut clean through the vine holding Tails, causing the fox to nearly fall to the ground before he took flight with his twin tails. More vines emerged and attempted to grab Knuckles, but the echidna repelled them with rapid punches. The ground beneath them began to violently shake as something emerged from underneath. It was a giant four-headed plant. Each of the plants four heads had rows of blood-red razor-sharp teeth.

"Don't think this thing's gonna let us leave without a fight!" Sonic said. The plant opened its mouths and spat out a barrage of seeds. The trio dodged the seeds and Tails tossed his ring bombs. The bombs hit their mark and the plant monster screeched in pain before spitting a spray of purple liquid from its mouth. Tails dodged the liquid and watched in horror as it dissolved some nearby plants. "Careful guys! This thing spits acid!" Tails cried.

The plant raised its four heads into the air and rapidly spun in place, firing globs of acid everywhere. Sonic and Tails did their best to avoid the corrosive liquid while Knuckles tunneled underground. When he was right underneath the plant, he erupted out of the ground with a Spiral Upper, uprooting the plant creature and sending it flying into the air.

Seeing his chance, Sonic used his Spin Dash and shot clean through the plant monster, leaving a large hole in its chest. The plant screeched in agony as it fell to the ground. The plant began coughing violently before it spat out a sign that read "Past". The plant monster then shriveled and shrunk away into nothingness.

"Look guys. That plant swallowed the Time Warp Plate." Tails said. "Swallowing it must have sped up the plant's evolution."

Knuckles walked over and picked up the Time Warp Plate, examining it. "So how does this thing work?" Knuckles asked.

"Just put it on the ground and spin it." Tails said. "It'll do the rest." Knuckles shrugged and planted the plate in the ground, then gave it a healthy spin. The plate spun for a bit before slowing to a halt. "FUTURE!" the plate spoke, startling Knuckles. Energy radiated from the plate as a portal emerged behind it.

"Alright, this is a one-way trip to Little Planet's future!" Sonic exclaimed. "Please keep all hands, feet, and the contents of your stomach inside at all times. Here we go!" Sonic grabbed Tails and Knuckles by their wrists and ran through the portal. Within the swirling vortex of time, they felt the years go by as if they were mere seconds.

Eventually, they reached a light at the end of he tunnel and sped out of the portal. What awaited them was a beautiful, neon-lit cityscape crossed with a highway made of copper and musical instruments, all of which were playing a relaxing, jazzy tune that made the city feel like an orchestra palace. At the centerpiece of this grand metropolis was a large statue of Eggman that was currently under construction.

"So where are we _now?_ " Knuckles asked.

"Actually, the question is _when_ are we." Tails replied. "We're still in Stardust Speedway, only now we're in the future."

"And I gotta say, the future's looking bright!" Sonic interjected, taking in the sight of the city. But what he saw next turned his smile into a frown. It was a projector and it was projecting a hologram a robot that looked like Sonic who was stomping on a helpless animal.

"A robot Sonic?" Knuckles asked.

"That's _Metal_ Sonic." Sonic replied. "A Badnik created by Eggman when he tried to take over Little Planet. He kidnapped Amy Rose, but I managed to rescue her." Sonic walked through the hologram and smashed the projector with a single kick. "Just a hologram." Sonic said. Just then, a group of small animals appeared and ran past the trio. And that's when the real Metal Sonic appeared, dropping down from the sky.

"Metal?!" Sonic exclaimed. "But _how?!_ I left you for scrap!" Metal Sonic responded with Sonic's signature finger wag, as if to mock him.

"Well hey, if he wants to get sent back to the junkyard, I can happily oblige!" Knuckles said as he cracked his knuckles. Tails drew his ring bombs and the trio readied themselves for a fight. Metal Sonic stood unfazed and drew a strange black disc. Before the trio could react, Metal Sonic threw the disc at Tails and Knuckles. The device hovered above the two and then ensnared the duo in a large bubble.

"Guys!" Sonic ran to free his friends but the bubble carried them away towards the Eggman statue. "Let them go, Metal!" Sonic demanded. Metal Sonic shook his head and pointed towards the highway. "So you want another rematch, huh?" Sonic asked. Metal Sonic responded with a nod and a few beeps.

"Fine. I win, I get my friends back!" Sonic said. "Let's do this!" Without another word, the two hedgehogs sped off on the highway. The two were neck and neck for the most part, but Metal Sonic used his signature V. Maximum Overdrive Attack to take the lead. Not wanting to be left in the dust, Sonic used his Spin Dash to catch up to the metallic hedgehog, making them even once again.

The two raced across the highway until they reached an arena with a large generator shaped like Eggman's face. Metal Sonic interfaced with the control panel and the generator whirred to life, opening its mouth and summoning a small Silver Sonic drone. "Calling in reinforcements? That's hardly sporting!" Sonic said.

The Silver Sonic lashed out with its expendable cable arms, but Sonic grabbed Silver Sonic and pulled the robot towards him before punching it away. The generator opened its mouth and summoned another Silver Sonic. This one curled into a ball and lunged itself at Sonic. Sonic dodged the robot, but was too late to avoid an oncoming energy blast from Metal Sonic that knocked him to the ground.

Still curled into a ball, Silver Sonic made another dive towards Sonic, but the Blue Blur moved out of the way, causing the robotic hedgehog to ricochet of the floor and on the walls. Seeing Silver Sonic bounce around like that gave Sonic an idea. When Silver Sonic came back for another dive towards him, Sonic curled into a ball and launched himself towards the robot, knocking it into the wall and causing it to ricochet off the wall and strike the control panel, damaging it and electrocuting Metal Sonic.

Metal Sonic ejected himself out of the control panel and flew away as the generator began to overload. Sonic darted away just as the generator exploded. The two rivals continued their race. Sonic used his Spin Dash to rocket past Metal Sonic. Metal Sonic responded by using his V. Maximum Overdrive Attack, putting them neck-and-neck once again. The two raced across the highway as it spiraled up the Eggman statue.

Once they reached the top, Sonic spotted the orb containing Tails and Knuckles and used his Spin Attack to destroy the device, freeing them from their prison. "Thanks for the save, Sonic!" Tails said.

"Anytime!" Sonic replied.

"Now as I was saying, Metal Sonic..." Knuckles said. "... If you're ready to go back to the scrapyard, I'll send you there on a first class trip!" The trio dropped into fighting stances and Metal Sonic began discharging electricity. However, the dramatic standoff was interrupted by a familiar voice. "Looks like you could use some help, Metal Sonic." the four of them looked up to see Eggman hovering over them in his Egg Mobile.

Metal Sonic responded with a series of angry beeps, stating that this was his fight and he needed no assistance. "Oh ho ho ho! Don't mind me, my boy! I'll hardly be underfoot!" Eggman replied with a hearty laugh. "I just figured you could use a pick-me-up is all." Eggman pulled out the Phantom Ruby and tossed it to Metal Sonic. The robotic hedgehog stared at the ruby inquisitively as it began glowing.

A surge of energy soon enveloped Metal Sonic as he began to transform into a larger, more monstrous version of himself with tubes on his shoulders, spiked treadmills for feet, and the Phantom Ruby in his chest. The transformed Metal Sonic let out a furious, mechanical roar.

"Oh, come on!" Sonic complained. "How is that not cheating?!"

"Ho ho ho ho! This is splendid! Truly splendid!" Eggman cackled. "Have fun, Metal Sonic! But I need that ruby back when you're done!" Eggman flew away as Metal Sonic raised his fist and tried to crush Team Sonic. The trio scattered to avoid the attack and. Sonic retaliated with several Spin Attacks. However, the assault did little to faze Metal Sonic, and the robot retaliated with a powerful purple laser shot from his mouth.

Knuckles leapt into the air and launched several Thunder Arrows at Metal Sonic while Tails threw several ring bombs at him. The arrows and bombs barely made a dent in Metal Sonic's armor and the machine fired several missiles from his back at the trio. The trio dodged most of the missiles, but Knuckles grabbed one of the missiles and threw it at Metal Sonic, aiming square at the Phantom Ruby in his chest.

Metal Sonic frantically threw up his Black Shield, encasing himself in a black, diamond-shaped barrier that deflected the missile. "I got an idea!" Sonic said. "Keep him occupied!" Tails and Knuckles nodded in affirmation and Knuckles ran towards Metal Sonic. The monstrous robot attempted to swat Knuckles away, but the echidna leapt in the air and delivered several rapid punches to Metal Sonic's face.

Metal Sonic opened his mouth and charged up his laser, but Knuckles moved out of the way and Tails threw a ring bomb at the cannon in his mouth, the explosion destroying the cannon and damaging him greatly. "Sonic, now!" Taking advantage of the distraction, Sonic performed a Spin Dash straight through the chamber containing the Phantom Ruby, yanking it out of Metal Sonic as he smashed a hole through him.

Metal Sonic short-circuited before perishing in a grand explosion. Metal Sonic's head, the only functioning part of him, shrank back down to normal and rolled towards Sonic. Sonic picked it up and said, "Alas, poor Metal. I knew him well."

"I... **_WILL_**... SURPASS... YOU..." Metal Sonic weakly replied, his voice sounding exactly like Sonic's, but with an electronic echo. Those were his final words before shutting down. "Some day, but not today." Sonic replied as he tossed Metal Sonic's head aside.

"Well, that's the end of him!" Knuckles said.

"Yep, and the Phantom Ruby is finally ours!" Tails cheered.

"Great work, team!" Sonic said. "Now we can-" Before he could say anything, a mechanical claw shot forth and snatched the Phantom Ruby out of Sonic's hand. With stunned expressions on their faces, the trio looked to see Omelette, armed with what appeared to be a toy jack-in-the-box, grab the Phantom Ruby. "You're too slow." she taunted in a singsong voice, flashing a cheeky grin as she ran away.

"Get her!" Sonic shouted as the trio ran after her. They followed her into a room where Eggman awaited them. The Phantom Ruby was in a glass canister and on the computer monitor was a holographic, wireframe model of what appeared to be a giant robot. "No more running, Eggman!" Sonic said.

"Why do I need to run?!" Eggman asked. "I have the Phantom Ruby and Little Planet's technology at my disposal! Everything I need is right here!"

"What are you planning?!" Tails demanded.

"Simple: Using Little Planet's technology, I shall construct the ultimate weapon!" Eggman declared. "With the Phantom Ruby as its power source, I will be unstoppable! Pity you three won't be around to see my ultimate triumph! Ta-ta!" The Phantom Ruby released a wave of energy that enveloped Team Sonic.

"Here we go again!" Knuckles said as the trio were warped away once more. With them gone, Omelette turned to Eggman. "What now?" she asked.

"Elementary, my dear Eggatha!" Eggman replied with a mock British accent. "We begin construction of the Titanic Monarch! Then, we shall conquer the world!" Eggman's laughter echoed through the city.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Hydro Horror! Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ Team Sonic arrives at the Hydrocity Zone and must navigate the underground water system while dealing with Sonic's crippling fear of water. Meanwhile, Omelette discovers a terrifying secret about the Phantom Ruby. Can she warn her uncle before it's too late? Find out on the next exciting chapter of _Sonic Mania!_**


	8. Chapter 7: Hydro Horror!

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Sonic Mania! Having been warped away by the Phantom Ruby, Team Sonic found themselves transported to Little Planet's past. Finding their way back to the present, The trio was confronted by Metal Sonic, freshly repaired and ready for a rematch with Sonic. Sonic managed to defeat the robotic doppelganger and rescue Tails and Knuckles before leaving Little Planet. Now the trio resume their hunt for Eggman and the Phantom Ruby.**

 **Author's Note: I'm pleased to announced that my Sonic Mania novelization now has a TV Tropes page. Thanks to Nintendoman01 for creating it. Please be sure to add to it when you get a chance. Here's the link.**

 **FanFic/SonicManiaTheNovelization**

Things have been strange, to say the least.

Having brought Little Planet into Earth's orbit with the power of the Phantom Ruby, Eggman and Omelette decided to use the now mechanized planetoid as a base of operations. There, they began construction on what Eggman called the "Titanic Monarch", Eggman's largest robotic creation to date. A robot designed to harness the combined energy of the Chaos Emeralds and the Phantom Ruby. Once fully operational, Eggman predicted that the Monarch would allow him to conquer the world in mere months, if not weeks.

While it was nice to be spending time with her beloved uncle, Omelette couldn't help but notice a change in his demeanor. Gone was the bombastic and over-the-top scientist she's known all her life. In his place was a cold and detached impostor who rarely showed any of the warmth that Eggman usually showed her. Even more, he had become completely obsessed with the Phantom Ruby. He would spend hours on end locked in his lab analyzing the Phantom Ruby. Disturbingly, he even claimed that the ruby could speak to him and was often seen conversing with it like it was an actual person. Omelette began to fear for her uncle's mental health.

Omelette was on her way to Eggman's lab to give a status update on the progress of the Titanic Monarch's completion. She opened the door and stepped inside to see Eggman in his natural habitat: his face glued to his computer screen. "Uncle." Omelette spoke. "I'm here with my report."

"What is it?" Eggman coldly asked, not turning to look at her.

"75% of the Titanic Monarch is complete." Omelette replied. "By my calculations, we should have it operational in about two weeks."

"Excellent. See that it happens." Eggman said. Omelette didn't leave, but stared at Eggman. "Say, uncle?" Omelette began. "Don't you think you've been spending too much time with that ruby? I think you need a break." Omelette walked towards the ruby, which was suspended in an energy field. "Why don't you let me study it a bit? I'm sure I can-" Omelette was cut off by Eggman, who had grabbed her by the wrist. His face was twisted into one of pure murderous rage.

"Don't touch that ruby!" Eggman hissed, squeezing Omelette's wrist and causing her to cry out in pain. "Uncle, what are you doing?!" .

"The ruby belongs to _**me! NEVER TOUCH IT AGAIN!**_ " Eggman shouted, squeezing Omelette's wrist tighter.

"Uncle, please! You're hurting me!" Omelette pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks from behind her pince-nez glasses. Eggman continued squeezing her wrist, glaring daggers at Omelette. Once he saw her tears, however, he immediately released her and took a few steps back, looking absolutely horrified.

"Eggatha, I... I'm sorry." Eggman said, his voice quavering a bit. Omelette held her injured wrist, not looking at Eggman. "I didn't mean it, I... I don't know what came over me... I-" Before he could apologize further, an alarm rang. Eggman looked on the computer monitor, which displayed an image of the Hydrocity Zone.

"Intruders in the Hydrocity Zone." Eggman said. "I'd better check it out. Plus, I could use some... time out of the lab." Eggman walked towards the door, but took one last look at Omelette, who was still holding her bruised wrist. "Eggatha... I'm really sorry." Eggman said as he walked out the lab.

"I know, uncle." Omelette finally replied, still not looking at Eggman. Once he was gone, Omelette grabbed the Phantom Ruby out of its energy field and held it in the palm of her hand, glaring at it intensely. "What. Did you do. To my uncle?" she asked, hissing each word in rage. If there was one thing she knew about Eggman, it's that for all his villainy, he would never raise his hand against a child. Especially not against his own family.

In response, the ruby began to glow and fired two bolts of red lightning at Omelette. Omelette screamed in pain as the ruby's energy surged through her. Her mind was overtaken by a vision of her and Eggman relaxing on a beach. Omelette was in her swimsuit lying on a towel while Eggman was sitting next to her on a chair. Both of them were under an umbrella, shielding them from the sun. It was Omelette's dream. Deep down, she always wanted her and Eggman to take a break from villainy and spend some quality time together like a normal family.

Omelette smiled at the vision of Eggman, who smiled back in kind. And that's when things took a turn for the frightening. The vision of Eggman began to horribly glitch and distort and it mutated into a grotesque monster with black, wart-covered skin, sharp red claws and a mouth filled with hundreds of blood-red razor-sharp teeth. The creature lunged at Omelette as if it was ready to tear her face off.

Omelette screamed and fell on her rear, dropping the ruby as she hurriedly backed away in abject terror. Sweat poured down Omelette's brow as her heart pounded in her chest. It was as if she saw every nightmare she had as a child come to life in her eyes. "What... What the heck was **_that?!_** " she asked, still trying to process what she had just witnessed.

This called for some research.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, in the Hydrocity Zone.**_

A bright flash of light rippled through the Hydrocity Zone as the space began to distort. When the light faded, Team Sonic appeared and crashed into the water. Knuckles and Tails swam to the surface for air while Sonic mindlessly flailed about before calming down.

"Where are we?" Knuckles asked.

"In the Hydrocity Zone." Tails replied. "An underground water system underneath Never Lake."

"Of all the places we could land, why did it have to be a place with water?" Sonic asked.

"Don't tell me you're scared of water." Knuckles said.

"Hey, when you nearly drown to death at four years old, _then_ you can judge me!" Sonic remarked defensively.

"Guys, this is no time to fight!" Tails said. "We gotta find Eggman and the Phantom Ruby!"

"First, we need to get out of here." Knuckles said. He looked around and saw a gondola nearby. Knuckles and Tails swam to the gondola with Sonic hanging on to one of Tails' tails. Sonic and Knuckles got on the gondola while Tails got behind the gondola and pushed towards the shore, using his twin tails as a makeshift propeller. Once they got to shore, the trio made their way through the tunnel.

"All right, now we just need to find to find a way out." Tails said.

"Keep your eyes peeled, though. A place like this is bound to be full of traps." Knuckles replied.

"How can you be so sure?" Sonic asked.

"Take it from a treasure hunter." Knuckles said. "Ancient places like these are always filled with traps." The trio walked through the tunnel, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Unfortunately, they should've been paying attention to what was in front of them. As they walked through the tunnel, Sonic walked right into a tripwire, setting off explosions that destroyed the floor underneath them.

The trio fell through the floor and landed on a water slide. "What did I tell you?!" Knuckles said. "Ancient places like these _always_ have traps!"

"This is no time for 'I told you so', Knucklehead!" Sonic complained. The trio slid down the water slide, carried by the current. Making matters worse, the slide was filled with spike traps that would randomly pop up, forcing the trio to swerve to avoid them. "Look out!" Tails yelled as the trio ducked their heads to avoid the incoming saw blades and pendulum blades. After navigating the twists and turns of the water slide, the trio fell into a large pool of water. Before they could react, a whirlpool formed underneath them and began to pull them in. At the center of the whirlpool was a large propeller blade.

"What's going on _now?!_ " Knuckles asked.

" _Why, you're being sucked into your death is all!_ " Eggman's voice echoed through the room.

"Eggman?! I should've known!" Sonic said. Eggman cackled in response. " _How do you like my Whirlpool Machine. In a few minutes, you'll be sucked in and sliced to ribbons! And Sonic, I know you can't swim, so this must be **especially**_ _terrifying for you! Oh ho ho ho!_ "

"Guys, we need to do something!" Knuckles said.

"We need to stop that Whirlpool Machine, but my Ring Bombs don't work underwater!" Tails replied.

"And as you can see, I'm not much good in the water!" Sonic said.

"Then it's up to me!" Knuckles said. Holding his breath, the echidna dove into the water and out of the whirlpool. There he saw the source of the whirlpool: a large and red round-shaped Egg Mobile with yellow and black streaks running across it to form an "X". The machine had four large black and gold thrusters positioned at the four corners of its body. On the top of the mech was a two-headed yellow and red propeller.

So far, it looked like Eggman didn't notice him leave the whirlpool. Taking advantage of this, Knuckles swam behind Eggman, positioning himself in his blind spot. He then rapidly spun in place like a drill before launching himself at Eggman with the force of a torpedo, piercing through the Whirlpool Machine.

"Knuckles?!" Eggman exclaimed. "You little...!" Eggman's statement was cut off by the Whirlpool Machine exploding. The force of the explosion was strong enough to launch Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Eggman clean out of the pool and out of the Hydrocity Zone. Outside, the trio found themselves in a desert area. The four of them were falling out of the sky. Tails took flight with his twin tails. Sonic grabbed onto Tails' legs while Knuckles grabbed onto Sonic's legs

Eggman pressed a button on the wrist and summoned his Egg Mobile. "Later, losers!" Eggman said as he flew off.

"Don't let him get away!" Sonic shouted.

"Already on it!" Tails said as he typed a command on his Miles Electric, calling for the Tornado. The three of them hopped into the biplane. "Let's fly!" Tails said as the trio flew off after Eggman.

* * *

 _ **Later, on Little Planet...**_

"Still nothing." Omelette said. It had been several hours since Eggman left. Omelette had spent those hours trying to analyze the Phantom Ruby. The nightmarish vision she saw convinced her that this gemstone was far more than just a source of power. Sadly, she fared little better than Eggman did. All attempts to analyze the ruby were met with failure.

"Maybe I'm going at this the wrong way." Omelette said. "Uncle was trying to scan its energy signature, but it's way to alien to scan. So, let's try something else. Computer, scan the ruby for brainwave patterns."

"SCANNING." The computer replied. After a few seconds, the monitor began to horribly glitch and distort as the computer discharged red electricity. The monitor then went black as the words " _ **DON'T INTERFERE**_ " began appear in red. The threatening message quickly filled the screen, repeating ad infinitum until the computer finally crashed, forcing a hard reboot.

"That pretty much confirms it." Omelette said. "This thing... is _sentient_. And dangerous. _Too_ dangerous. I gotta warn uncle about this!"

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Showdown in the Mirage Saloon Zone! Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ Team Sonic continues to chase Eggman in the sky, but the chase comes to a crashing halt when an old foe of Sonic's downs the plane, causing them to crash in the Mirage Saloon Zone. Even worse, Spellbinder, the Heavy Magician is lurking about and she has some particularly deadly magic tricks in store for our heroes. Will they survive the Mirage Saloon Zone, or will Spellbinder make them disappear permanently? Find out on the next exciting chapter of _Sonic Mania_! **


	9. Chapter 8: Showdown at the Mirage Saloon

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on _Sonic Mania!_ After escaping Little Planet, Team Sonic crash-lands into the Hydrocity Zone underneath Never Lake. Overcoming Eggman's Whirlpool Machine, the trio were literally launched out of the Hydrocity Zone and into the Mirage Saloon Zone. Now Team Sonic chases Eggman through the desert sky.**

 **Just For Fun: Since Team Hooligan debuts in this chapter, best to give them some voices. I recommend reading Fang's lines in the voice of Zeb from Star Wars Rebels, Bean's lines in the voice of Cosmo, Deadpool, or Woody Woodpecker (since, according to the wiki, he's a woodpecker), and since Bark didn't talk in the Archie comics, he won't talk here.**

"Don't let him get away, Tails!" Sonic yelled as the Tornado chased after Eggman. The mad scientist flew on his Egg-Mobile. If they could just capture Eggman, they could stop his nefarious scheme at the source. Despite the headstart he gained, Team Sonic was quickly closing the gap. Panicking, Eggman tapped the communicator on his wrist. "Heavy Magician! Come in, Heavy Magician!" he yelled.

" _Um, I prefer to be called by my stage name, Spellbinder_." Spellbinder flatly replied.

"Whatever!" Eggman snapped. "I need assistance! Distract them!"

" _What's the magic word...?_ " Spellbinder teasingly asked.

"The magic word is _**NOW!**_ " Eggman yelled. "Unless you want that bomb in your head to go off." Spellbinder sighed in response. "You're no fun, you know that?" she asked. "Fine. Hold up a second." A portal opened up and Eggman flew through it just as the Tornado caught up to him. "What the?!" Sonic asked, stunned.

"He disappeared into that portal!" Tails exclaimed.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious!" Knuckles replied. "Now where the heck did he go?!"

"Oh, come on!" A voice called out. "A magician can't reveal _all_ of her secrets!" A yellow top hat with a red band hovered in front of the Tornado, flying even with the plane. The hat began to violently shake before it exploded in a flash of confetti. In its place, there was an Eggrobo dressed in a yellow-colored jacket with a standard black and white tuxedo underneath her chest. She also possessed a red bowtie, red eyes, gray appendages, and a black lower torso. Her forefront was yellow. She also possessed a pair of bumpers on her belt line.

"Hey, you're one of those Hard-Boiled Halfwits!" Knuckles said.

"The name's Spellbinder, Rhode Island Red." Spellbinder replied, tipping her hat and giving a polite bow. "Mechanical Mistress of the Mystic Arts at your service!"

"Where's Eggman?!" Sonic demanded.

"Eggman Eggman Eggman." Spellbinder said, rolling her eyes. "What kind of a world do we live in where a two-bit scientist gets all of _my_ attention? Anyway... I teleported Eggman through a dimensional portal. My little hat trick. Here's another hat trick: I'm gonna pull a rabbit outta my hat." Spellbinder tipped her hat and a bright light emanated from it as a Catterkiller Badnik emerged from it, rapidly growing massive in size.

"Whoops! Guess I left my rabbit in my other hat!" Spellbinder laughed. "Anywho, have fun!" Spellbinder disappeared into her hat and teleported away. The Catterkiller burrowed underground before emerging and attempting to strike the Tornado from beneath. Tails swerved out of the way to avoid the mechanical insect, but Knuckles lost his balance and fell off the plane.

"Knuckles!" Tails flew down and tried to rescue Knuckles, but was forced to move out of the way to avoid the Catterkiller as it dived into the ground again. "What are you doing, Tails?!" Sonic asked. "Fight back!"

"I can only shoot what's in front of me!" Tails replied. "And that thing's moving way too fast for me to anticipate!"

"Maybe too fast for you, but not for me!" Sonic declared as he stood on the edge of the Tornado's wing. He looked down on the ground and watched the Catterkiller as it burrowed underground, taking note of the trail it left in its wake. Once he saw it coming towards him, Sonic curled into a ball and prepared his Spin Attack. When the Catterkiller launched itself at the plane, Sonic leapt off the plane and smashed through the Catterkiller, destroying it instantly.

"Alright, Sonic!" Tails cheered as Sonic landed back on the wing of the Tornado. At that second, the two were confronted not by Spellbinder, but by a trio of newcomers riding on a yellow and blue air bike complete with sidecars. The driver of the air bike was a weasel with purple and white fur. He wore a big brown stetson hat, brown boots with white gaiters, brown gloves with metal plates on them, and a brown belt with a gold buckle. He also had a holster on the right side of his belt. A large, sharp fang protruded from the left side of his mouth. He had long ears, long feet and a long, thick, purple tail. It was Fang the Sniper, a notorious criminal and treasure hunter.

On Fang's right was a green woodpecker wearing a red neckerchief, white gloves, and red sneakers with a white strip on each of them. This was Bean the Dynamite, a notorious arsonist. To Fang's left was a large polar bear with light beige fur and tan skin. The bear wore a red snow cap, a green scarf, brown boxing gloves, and brown boots. This was Bark the Polar Bear. Together, they were known as Team Hooligan.

"Well if it ain't the Blue Boy Scout." Fang said, his voice having an Australian accent. "Been a long time, Sonic."

"Long time no see, Fang." Sonic replied. "Too bad we don't have time to play right now."

"Well, you're gonna have to _make_ time." Fang said. "You see, Eggman offered us a pretty penny for your heads. But for me, this is good ol' fashioned payback. Bean, time for some fireworks."

"Oh goody!" Bean cackled. "Sing, my children! Sing!" Bean raised his hands and conjured a cluster of bombs before telekinetically throwing them at the Tornado. Tails did his best to dodge the bombs, but one of them struck the wing of the Tornado, damaging it.

"We're going down!" Sonic yelled.

"Brace for impact!" Tails said. He pulled on the steering wheel as hard as he could. It didn't stop the plane from crashing, but it at least cushioned the impact. "You okay, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Nothing's broken." Sonic replied.

"Well, Big Blue, I give you a 9 for the dive, a 5 for the execution, and a 2 for the landing!" Spellbinder replied, appearing before the duo and sipping a cup of oil as if it were tea. Sonic and Tails merely glared at her. "Gotta say though, you're putting on one heck of a show. But this is just the opening act. The main event... is right over there." She gestured to the nearby railroad where someone was tied to it. That someone was a pink hedgehog wearing a red headband. It was Amy Rose, Sonic's self-appointed girlfriend.

"Amy?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"That's right!" Spellbinder giggled. "A bit cliché, I know. But I got a weakness for the classics.' She gestured to the oncoming train, which was designed to resemble Eggman's face. "And the train will be here soon, so if you don't your girlfriend to be roadkill, you better get a move on!"

"NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Sonic screamed as he ran off to save Amy. Tails, meanwhile, had been looking at his Miles Electric, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Something doesn't add up..." he muttered. His eyes widened in realization. "Sonic, wait! It's a trap!" Tails yelled as he ran behind Sonic. But it was too late. The moment Sonic reached out to grab Amy, she faded away. Before Sonic could react, a purple energy bubble enveloped him.

Tails rushed to Sonic's side and pounded on the bubble, but it grabbed him and pulled him inside along with Sonic. "So it was an illusion?" Sonic asked.

"That's right!" Spellbinder said. The train was inching ever closer. "But that incoming train isn't! In a matter of minutes, you'll be roadkill! Bye bye, guys!" Spellbinder disappeared into her hat and vanished. Sonic and Tails furiously pounded on the bubble, with Sonic using his Spin Attack and ricocheting around the inside of it. But it was all in vain. The train was right on top of them now. It seemed all they could do was pray for a miracle.

Fortunately, a miracle arrived. Knuckles emerged from underground, his fist ablaze with fire as he lunged at the train and punched it clean in the nose, causing a huge explosion. "Guess I caught this train right on time!" Knuckles said. He walked towards the bubble,grabbed it and ripped it to shreds, freeing Sonic and Tails. "Thanks for the save, Knuckles." Tails said.

"Don't mention it." Knuckles replied. "But how are we gonna find Eggman now? The Tornado's in pieces!"

"Well, one thing's for sure: We can't find Eggman on an empty stomach." Sonic said. "Town's nearby. Let's see if we can find something to eat." The three of them headed towards the nearby town. To their surprise, the town was completely empty. Not a soul could be found. A lone tumbleweed blew across the town. "Man, this place is a ghost town." Tails said.

"Strange, isn't it?" Sonic asked. "Thought this place would be a lot more lively."

"Yeah, I got a bad feeling about this, guys." Knuckles said. "Stay on your guard." The trio entered the saloon, which was completely empty save for the lone bartender. On the stage, someone was playing the piano, but they couldn't see who it was. They walked to the bar, sat down, and began perusing the menu. "I'll have two of your finest chili dogs, please." Sonic requested.

"I'll have a bowl of grapes." Knuckles said.

"I'll have a root beer float." Tails said. The bartender, not turning to look at the trio, pulled on a lever and their respective orders slid down in front of them. The trio began eating. "So tell me..." Sonic said as he took a bite out of his chili dog. "...What happened here? This place is completely deserted."

"Yeah, round these parts, people tend to come and go." the bartender finally replied, still keeping his back turned to the trio. "They don't stay in one place for too long."

"I can relate to that!" Sonic said. "Anyway, these are some really good chili dogs!"

"And these grapes are quite fresh!" Knuckles said.

"And the root beer float is amazing!" Tails said.

"Glad you're enjoying yourselves, boys." the bartender said. "After all..." the bartender turned around and drew a laser gun, firing a shot at Sonic's shoulder. The bartender was none other than Fang the Sniper in disguise. "...It's gonna be your last meal." Fang jumped over the bar and continued shooting at Sonic, dogged his shots while nursing his wounded shoulder.

"Sonic!" Tails exclaimed as he drew a Dummy Ring Bomb and prepared to throw it, only for the bomb to explode in his hand. The fox screamed in pain and fell to the ground, clutching his hand in agony. The glove was destroyed and his hand was burned. "Tails!" Knuckles shouted as he rushed to Tails' aid only to be stopped by a thrown piano. Stepping from behind the curtain was Bark and Bean. "Barbecued fox, anyone?" Bean giggled maniacally.

Bark leapt off the stage and pounced on Knuckles just as the echidna pulled himself out of the wreckage of the piano. Knuckles backflipped out of the way to avoid an incoming punch from Bark. He then retaliated with a punch of his own, only for Bark to grab his wrist and and throw him through the wall. Bark walked towards the hole, only for Knuckles to launch through and tackle him to the ground.

Sonic, meanwhile, was busy dodging both Fang's shots and Bean's bombs. With his wounded shoulder, fighting back was near impossible. Fang, realizing his gun wasn't working, holstered it and drew out a large gatling gun. "Try dodging this, Rodent Boy!" Fang yelled as he fired the gatling gun, puncturing holes in near every part of the saloon.

"Rodent Boy? Look in the mirror, weasel!" Sonic snapped back, sharply turning to avoid a cluster of bombs thrown by Bean. Seeing the bombs explode gave Sonic an idea. "Hey, Birdbrain!" Sonic taunted. "That the best you got?! Pretty wimpy fireworks if you ask me!"

"Oh you want fireworks?! _**I'LL GIVE YOU FIREWORKS!**_ " Bean shouted as he three hundreds of bombs at Sonic. Seeing his chance, Sonic spun in place, creating a blue tornado that sucked in all the bombs and threw them at Fang. Fang panicked and opened fire with his gatling gun, shooting down all the bombs before they could reach him.

"Watch where you're throwing, you-!" Fang's rant was cut short by Sonic, who used the smokescreen as cover to launch a Spin Dash at Fang, sending him through the window. "Nice aim, Dead Eye." Sonic said. That's when something extraordinary happened. Fang began to horribly glitch and distort before fading away.

"What the...?" Sonic asked, astonished. "Guys! These clowns aren't real! They're just holograms!"

"For holograms, they can pack a punch!" Knuckles said, blocking a punch from Bark. "But either way, that means that I don't need to hold back!" Knuckles ducked to avoid a left hook from Bark, gathering fire in his fist. "Spiral... UPPER!" Knuckles yelled as he launched a powerful uppercut, sending Bark flying through the roof of the saloon.

"That takes care of him!" Knuckles said. Bean tried to toss a bomb at Knuckles while his back was turned, but Tails tossed a ring bomb at him, causing the bomb to explode in the woodpecker's hand, killing him instantly. "Consider that payback." Tails said as he rose to his feet.

"Why don't you stop with the tricks and fight us yourself, coward!" Knuckles challenged. As if to answer, the curtains on the stage opened up, revealing a blue box with Spellbinder's face on it. The box opened and in a puff of smoke, Spellbinder appeared. "And here I thought those guys would get rid of you." Spellbinder whined. "Guess you can't rely on C-list has-beens if you want the job done right. Looks like I'll have to write you three off the stage myself!"

"The only one who's disappearing is you!" Sonic said as he launched himself at Spellbinder with a Spin Dash. Spellbinder teleported out of the way in a flash of confetti. "Nice try, furball." Spellbinder taunted as she performed some slight of hand tricks with a deck of cards. "But I'm a tough act to get off the stage! Now pick a card, any card!" Spellbinder tossed a few cards in Sonic's direction. Sonic dodged most of them, but one of them cut him on the cheek.

"Have a Thunder Arrow!" Knuckles shouted as he leapt into the air and fired a Thunder Arrow at Spellbinder. Spellbinder snapped her fingers and summoned two cylinders. One cylinder absorbed the lightning and the other sent it right back at Knuckles, electrocuting him and knocking him to the ground.

Tails took to the air and started tossing Ring Bombs with his uninjured hand. Spellbinder created an energy barrier around herself to defend against the bombs. Her top hat then turned into a cannon and fired a cannonball at Tails, knocking him to the ground. Knuckles tried to land a punch on her while she was distracted, but she teleported out of the way.

"For my next trick, I require a lovely assistant!" Spellbinder said as she fired a beam of energy from her finger, trapping Knuckles in a box. She then brandished a large chainsaw. "It's only fair to warn you: I have no idea what I'm doing." Spellbinder taunted as she prepared to saw Knuckles in half.

"No you don't!" Sonic roared as performed a Spin Dash and shot clean through Spellbinder's chest. The robotic magician fell to the ground. "Well, that's all for me, fans." she said as she exploded. The box containing Knuckles disappeared. "Looks like the magic show's over." Sonic said as Tails flew to his side.

"Guess so." Knuckles replied. "How's your shoulder?"

"Stings a bit, but I'll live." Sonic replied. He then turned to Tails. "How's your hand?"

"It hurts." Tails said. As they walked outside, something really strange happened. People, humans and animals alike, began appearing around them, showing up completely out of nowhere. "What's happening?" Knuckles asked.

"The town's residents are appearing!" Tails exclaimed. "It must have something to do with Spellbinder's magic. I bet defeating her broke her spell on the town." One of tie residents walked forward. It was a red fox dressed in a tuxedo and wearing a top hat and monocle.

"I'm the mayor of Mirage Saloon Zone." the fox said. "On behalf of the town, I wish to extend our deepest gratitude. That crazy robot came and cast a spell on the town, trapping us in some crazy dimension, but you came and saved us."

"Happy to help!" Sonic declared.

"Yes, well you boys look pretty beat up." the Mayor chuckled. "Why don't ya'll go see the local doctor? It's the least we could do after all you've done for us."

* * *

 _ **Later, at the doctor's office...**_

"Alrighty boys." The doctor said. "Your tests are complete and your injuries aren't too bad. Thanks to the medicine I gave you, your wounds should heal up nicely. But I recommend getting some rest."

"Thanks for the help, doctor." Tails said. His right hand was bandaged up. "But we can't rest just yet! We have to find Eggman!"

"But even if we knew where he was, we have no way of reaching him!" Knuckles said. "The Tornado's destroyed!"

"There's gotta be a way!" Sonic said.

"I may have a solution." the doctor said as he headed towards the back door. The trio followed him outside to find a large gun in the backyard. "I normally use this to transport medicine to different Zones." he began. "But I think you can use this to get over to the next Zone, the Oil Ocean Zone. Personally, I think this is really dangerous."

"Don't worry, doc!" Sonic said. "We can handle it!" Team Sonic jumped into the gun. The hand holding the gun twirled it a bit before pulling the trigger, launching the trio clean into the Oil Ocean Zone.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Bubble, Bubble, Oil and Trouble. Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ Having arrived in the Oil Ocean Zone, Team Sonic resumes their hunt for Eggman. Meanwhile, Omelette desperately tries to contact her uncle, determined to warn him about the Phantom Ruby. **


	10. Ch 9: Bubble, Bubble, Oil, and Trouble!

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on _Sonic Mania!_ Team Sonic chased Eggman through the desert skies of the Mirage Saloon Zone. However, the chase was interrupted by Spellbinder, one of the Hard-Boiled Heavies. After defeating her and freeing a town from her vile influence, Team Sonic literally shot themselves to the Oil Ocean Zone. Now the trio must search the refinery and find Eggman.**

 **Author's Note: MAJOR UPDATE AND SPOILER. I'm sure most of you are aware of the leaked footage of _Sonic Mania Plus_ , right? Particularly the footage involving Metal Sonic's new boss fight? Well, in the new version, Metal Sonic is transformed into a larger, more powerful version of himself by the power of the Phantom Ruby. So, in order to match it, I had to do a major overhaul to chapter 6. So those who already read chapter 6 may have to reread it. Apologies for the inconvenience.**

After launching themselves out of the Mirage Saloon Zone, Team Sonic landed in an oil refinery off the coast of West Side Island. The entire region was a sea that had been blanketed by oil, and was being overcast by an orange sky with a lit horizon with only a few clouds and the obscured sun that could be seen in the sky. The areas with solid footing consisted exclusively of a network of metallic oil platforms and factories emblazoned with Eggman's logo, most of which are disposing oil into the sea. Along the roads were sections in purple and green with strange-looking ornaments.

"Whoo! That was some ride!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Ugh... I think my stomach and my spleen switched places." Knuckles groaned, struggling to right himself after the dizzying trip over here. "Where are we, again?" he asked.

"We're in the Oil Ocean Zone." Tails replied. "This is one of Eggman's old oil refineries for his machines. Unfortunately, his oil pumping is taking a toll on the ocean life."

"That Eggman. Always disrespecting nature." Sonic said with disgust. "I say we trash the place. That ought to get his attention. Plus, I'll take any opportunity to stick it to Eggman."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Tails said. "Destroying the oil plant might do more harm than good. Let's just focus on finding Eggman."

"How do we even know he's here?" Knuckles asked.

"This is the only place he owns for miles of here." Tails replied. "He's _has_ to be here." The trio began their search for Eggman, unaware that they themselves were being spied upon via a security camera.

In a dark room filled with security monitors there was a humanoid robot designed to resemble a stereotypical plumber. It possessed a spherical torso, shoulders and elbows, and a pole-like gray head. Instead of legs, it had a yellow propeller beneath its waist. Its torso, shoulders and elbows are colored yellow, and its torso was designed so it looks like the robot was wearing black overalls. It also had white glove-like hands, a flat white mouth, and cartoonish eyes with black pupils. It also wore a yellow cap.

Upon seeing Team Sonic, the robot narrowed its eyes and grabbed a nearby phone. "Doctor, this Meter Droid." the robot began, his voice carrying a Brooklyn accent. "That Sonic fella and his buddies are here. What do I do?"

" _What do you think, you mechanical moron?!_ " Came Eggman's annoyed reply. " _Get rid of them!_ "

"With all due respect, doc, I ain't exactly built for fighting." Meter Droid said dejectedly. He was a droid designed for the sole purpose of defending and maintaining operations at the Oil Ocean Zone. His only means of defense was his trusty wrench. And it certainly wouldn't be enough to beat someone like Sonic.

" _Well then, **improvise!**_ " Eggman shouted as he abruptly hung up. "Freakin' slavedriver." Meter Droid muttered as he put down the phone and pressed a button, sounding the alarm.

Outside, Team Sonic soon encountered resistance in the form of an army of Egg Pawns wearing hard hats and armed with wrenches, pipes, and laser guns. "We've got company!" Sonic shouted as the Egg Pawns closed in on them. The Blue Blur used his Spin Dash and tore through the Egg Pawns.

"Careful guys!" Tails shouted as he fought off the robots using his twin tails. "Try to keep the damage to a minimum! We don't want this place blowing up!"

""Can't make promises!" Knuckles said as he engaged the Egg Pawns. One of them tried to attack Knuckles with its wrench, but Knuckles wrenched the wrench out of the robot's hand and threw it at the Egg Pawn, impaling it. A group of Egg Pawns pounced on him, but Knuckles got into a handstand and spun around, sending the Egg Pawns flying with several sweeping kicks.

"That gives me an idea!" Sonic said. He ran circles around the remaining Egg Pawns, using his speed to generate a massive tornado that hoisted the mechanical foes into the air and tossed them into the ocean. "And that's all she wrote!" Sonic said.

"The fact that those robots attacked us is proof that Eggman's here." Tails said.

"Sure, but where do we start looking?" Knuckles asked. "This place is huge!"

"You don't need to look, cause he ain't here." A voice called out. Team Sonic looked up to find themselves facing a robot designed to look like a plumber. "And who are you supposed to be?" Sonic asked.

"The name's Meter Droid." The robot replied. "I'm the brains of this here outfit."

"Where's Eggman?!" Knuckles demanded.

"I told you, he ain't here." Meter Droid replied. "And you guys have other issues to worry about. You took out a lot of my pals, and you're gonna pay!" Meter Droid drew his wrench. "When I'm through with you, they're gonna need plastic surgery to recognize you! I'm gonna-!" Before he could say any more, Sonic ran through his chest with a Spin Dash.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?' Sonic snidely asked.

"Aw... nuts." Meter Droid weakly said before he finally exploded. However, the explosion released a cloud of toxic fumes. Not only that, but vents and pipes were releasing toxic fumes all over the refinery. Team Sonic immediately covered their mouths and noses to block out the poisonous gases. Knuckles spotted a glass panel and smashed it, revealing some gas masks. Knuckles grabbed one of the masks and put it on before tossing one each to Sonic and Tails, who put theirs on as well.

"So, the lesson, ladies and gentlemen?" Knuckles began. "Don't smash robots you don't know!"

"Sorry! How was I supposed to know that the robot was booby trapped?!" Sonic complained.

"Regardless , it's an impressive security system." Tails said. "We better be careful. No telling what other surprises this place has." The trio made their way across a bridge over a pool of oil. Just as they got to platform in the center of the oil pool, metallic tentacles wrapped themselves around the bridges on both sides and dragged them into the oily water.

"Stay alert, team!" Sonic shouted. "This looks like trouble!"

In that moment, something emerged out of the water. It was a submarine designed to resemble an Octus Badnik. It had a giant round head featuring cartoonish eyes with black pupils, an open snout for a mouth, giant gray corkscrews for ears, and a golden neck collar. It also had a golden hatch on top of its head, and eight tentacles, each one made up of a string of pink orbs. The tips of four of the tentacles was equipped with a specific weapon. One tentacle was equipped with a buzzsaw, one was equipped with a hammer, one was equipped with a laser gun, one was equipped with a claw, and the others were equipped with barbed tips.

" _You just can't rely on scrap metal if you want the job done right!_ " Eggman's voice echoed from the machine.

"Well, in that case, why don't you come out of that octopus and fight us yourself!" Knuckles challenged.

" _Tempting offer, but I'll pass._ " Eggman's replied. " _It's much more comfortable in my Mega Octus and it gives me the perfect view to watch you take your final, dying gasps!_ " Eggman fired a sweeping laser beam from the gun on the Mega Octus' tentacle. The trio scattered and Tails took to the air and began tossing ring bombs at the Mega Octus. Eggman retaliated by lashing out with the buzzsaw on its tentacle.

Tails dodged the buzzsaw, but was too slow to evade the hammer and was sent flying into the ground. Eggman lashed out with the buzzsaw again, but Sonic tore through the tentacle with a Spin Dash. Knuckles grabbed the tentacle and threw it at the Mega Octus, embedding the buzzsaw right in-between the submarine's eyes. However, the sparks that flew from the colliding metal ignited the ooil, setting the entire pool ablaze. "Bad move, Eggman!" Sonic said. "Looks like your octopus is about to be calamari!"

" _Idiot, you didn't think I planned for that?_ " Eggman retorted " _My Mega Octus is fireproof!_ "

" _Maybe the outside, but not the inside_." Tails thought to himself. "Guys, I have a plan! Disarm him!"

"Right!" Sonic and Knuckles replied in unison. Eggman fired a laser from the Mega Octus' gun, but Knuckles grabbed the tentacle and directed the laser, cutting off the weapons on the other two tentacles Eggman used the remaining tentacles to attack Knuckles, but Sonic leapt into the air, grabbed the tentacle, and wrapped it around the other three. "Tails, do your thing!" Sonic said.

The Mega Octus fired cannonball after cannonball from its snout. Tails dodged each shot and threw a Ring Bomb into the Mega Octus' snout. The submarine began glowing and promptly exploded, sending Eggman flying out of the machine on his Egg Mobile. His clothes were burned and his face was covered in soot. "Blast you, Sonic!" Eggman shouted. "You win this round, but I'll have the last laugh once my weapon is complete!"

Eggman pressed a button on his Egg Mobile before flying away, laughing manically. Just as he left, explosions began going off all over the refinery. "Eggman's set the refinery to self-destruct!" Tails said.

"Nutcase is willing to blow up his own refinery just to kill us!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"We need a way out of here!" Sonic said. He looked around until he spotted a large purple and gold submarine with green trimming on it. "That's our ticket out of here!" he said. "Tails, think you can drive that thing?"

"If I can pilot a plane, then I can drive a submarine!" Tails replied confidently.

Great! Now let's go!" Sonic grabbed Tails and Knuckles by the wrists and sped off through the refinery, dodging falling debris as they made their way to the submarine. The trio jumped in and Tails manned the controls. "Strap yourselves in!" he said. The submarine whirred to life and took off, leaving the flaming refinery behind as it dived into the ocean.

* * *

 _ **Back on Little Planet...**_

"Come on, come on!" Omelette said. Ever since she uncovered the truth about the Phantom Ruby, she had been desperately attempting to reach him on his phone. But he had yet to answer. She was starting to grow worried. That's when she heard the door open. Omelette ran to the door. "Uncle! Thank God you're-!" She cut her sentence short upon seeing Eggman's haggard appearance. "What happened to you?"

"Sonic and his pals were at Oil Ocean Zone." Eggman replied, wiping they soot off his face. "Tried to stop them and I blew up the refinery in the process."

"You _what?!_ " Omelette asked in shock. "Why would you do that! That's precious fuel for our robots!"

"Refineries can be rebuilt." Eggman replied. "But never mind that! What's the status of the Titanic Monarch?"

"85% of it is complete. We should have it operational soon." Omelette said.

"See to it." Eggman replied as he started to walk away.

"Uncle, wait!" Omelette said, chasing after him. "I have to tell you something! It's about the Phantom Ruby!"

"What about it?" Eggman asked.

"Well... I think we should... I think we should get rid of the Phantom Ruby!" Omelette said. Eggman looked at Omelette, then burst into laughter as if she had just told a cute joke. "Oh, Eggatha, you always know how to bring a smile to my face." he said.

"I'm serious, Uncle!" Omelette protested. "I discovered something terrible! The ruby is sentient!"

"Well of course it's sentient!" Eggman said. "How else is it able to do what I say?"

"But it's not just sentient, it's dangerous!" Omelette said. "There's something weird about it!"

"Omelette, you worry too much." Eggman said, affectionately ruffling her hair. "You forget that your uncle is the greatest scientific mind of all time! I'm pretty sure I can handle a simple ruby."

"But uncle..." Omelette whined.

"Look, I have to go take a shower." Eggman said. "In the meantime, I have a task I want you to relay to Metal King and Knight Rider. Tell them to head to Angel Island and retrieve the Master Emerald. With its power added to the Chaos Emeralds and the Phantom Ruby, the Titanic Monarch will be the greatest war machine in the world! Also, could you make some tea?"

"Yes uncle." Omelette said dejectedly.

"Great! We'll talk later." With that, Eggman walked away, leaving Omelette alone.

" _Why is he always so stubborn?_ " Omelette thought to herself.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Volcanic Panic! Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ Sensing the Master Emerald was in danger, Team Sonic returns to Angel Island to protect it. There they discover that Knight Rider, one of the Hard-Boiled Heavies, has placed a bomb in the heart of Angel Island's active volcano, using it to challenge Sonic and Tails to a race. The clock is ticking and the stakes have never been higher in this action-packed chapter of _Sonic Mania!_**


	11. Chapter 10 pt1: Volcanic Panic!

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on** ** _Sonic Mania!_** **Arriving in the Oil Ocean Zone, Team Sonic continued their hunt for Eggman and the Phantom Ruby. After surviving another of the mad doctor's attempts to crush them, the trio were forced to escape from the refinery as it went up in flames, hijacking a submarine. Now as they make their way back to Never Lake, an unexpected event forces the trio to make a detour...**

 **Author's Note: Decided to split the chapter into two parts so it's not too long. This part deals with Sonic and Tails vs. Knight Rider. Part 2 will deal with Knuckles and the Metal King.**

After narrowly escaping the Oil Ocean Zone, Team Sonic decided to use the submarine they hijacked to get back to Never Lake and Little Planet, hoping to finally be able stop Eggman and retrieve the Phantom Ruby. Plus, it was quite exciting to see some of the ocean life, away from the polluted waters of the Oil Ocean Zone. "This should help us get to Never Lake in no time!" Sonic said.

"Yep!" Tails replied. "And with the computer programmed for Never Lake, we can kick back and relax for once!"

"Yeah, we haven't had a break since this whole mess started!" Knuckles complained. "I could really use a-AHHH!" Knuckles screamed in agony and collapsed to the floor, clutching his head in pain. Sonic and Tails rushed to their friend's aid. "Knux, what's wrong?!" Sonic asked.

"What is it, Knuckles?!" Tails asked. Knuckles took a few deep breaths as the pain began to subside. "The Master Emerald..." he finally spoke. "I can feel it... calling out to me. It's in danger! We have to get to Angel Island now!"

"How are you so sure it's in danger?" Tails asked.

"I'm the guardian of the Master Emerald, Tails." Knuckles replied. "I have a connection to it. I can sense when it's in danger. I'm telling you, something bad is happening on Angel Island! We need to get there _now!_ " Sonic paused for a minute, then finally spoke. "Guess Little Planet will have to wait." he said. "Tails, set a course for Angel Island!"

"Aye aye, Captain Sonic!" Tails replied with a salute! He typed a command on the submarine's computer and the vessel immediately changed course for Angel Island, heading through an underwater tunnel. Through the tunnel, the gang started to notice that the submarine was beginning to be progressively warmer. "Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?" Sonic asked.

"We're heading to the Lava Reef Zone, Angel Island's active volcano." Tails replied. "The heat from the magma is why it's getting hotter. The submarine's heat shields should hold up, but not for long. Prepare to eject soon." The submarine traversed deeper into the underground tunnel until it emerged in an ocean of magma. An alarm blared throughout the room. "WARNING! HULL INTEGRITY BREACHED!" the computer said in a female voice. "MAGMA EXCEEDS HEAT SHIELD CAPABILITIES! EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"

"You heard the lady!" Sonic said. "Scram!" Knuckles launched himself out of the submarine with a Spiral Upper. Tails grabbed Sonic by the hands and flew out of the hole in the submarine. The trio landed on the shore and watched as the submarine sank into the lava. "There goes our ride." Sonic said.

"Let's go." Knuckles said as the trio made their way through the tunnel and ended up in a mining area. There they saw Egg Robos wearing hard hats and wielding pickaxes. Some of them were mining crystals. "Well, Robuttnik's definitely here." Sonic said.

"What are they up to, though?" Tails asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know!" a voice said. The trio turned to see the Knight Rider on her Motobug Jimmy. The Hard-Boiled Heavy rode off the ledge and landed right in front of the trio. "Well if it isn't Sonic!" Knight Rider said. "Name's Knight Rider! From one speedster to another, it's an honor to meet you."

"Great, another one of the Hard-Boiled Bozos." Sonic replied.

"Leave my home at once!" Knuckles demanded.

"No can do!" Knight Rider taunted in a singsong voice. "The good doctor wants your little Emerald thing for his pet project."

"Well tell him the Master Emerald's off-limits!" Knuckles said. "Now take your friends and leave!"

"You want me to go?" Knight Rider asked. "Then we gotta settle this the only way I know hhow: Where the rubber meets the road! The racetrack!"

"I'm never one to turn down a good race." Sonic said. "But we don't have time to play little games with you! Get out of our way!"

"Well... okay then." Knight Rider shrugged as she reclined on Jimmy. "I guess you don't care what happens to Angel Island, then."

"What are you talking about?" Tails asked. Knight Rider pressed a button on Jimmy and the Motobug's eyes projected a holographic image of a large bomb. "That bomb's been planted in the heart of the volcano." she began, pulling out a small flash drive. "All I have to do is upload the Detonator program and BOOM! Angel Island goes up in flames!"

"You monster!" Knuckles roared as he lunged at Knight Rider, only for her to swerve out of the way. "So like I said, you wanna save this island? You're gonna have to race me." Knight Rider said. "I'll be waiting for you in the lower level. Be there or be square." With that, Knight Rider drove away.

"Darn it!" Knuckles shouted as he punched the ground in frustration, leaving a small fist-sized crater. "I should've never left Angel Island! Now it's going to be destroyed and it's all my fault! I've failed my role as its guardian!"

Sonic placed a hand on Knuckles' shoulder. "It isn't over yet, Knux!" Sonic said. "We've come too far to give up now!"

"But what can we do?" Knuckles asked.

"Simple! Let's split up!" Tails said. "Sonic and I can deal with Knight Rider and try to disarm that bomb. Meanwhile, you get to the Hidden Palace and secure the Master Emerald!"

"Just like Tails said!" Sonic said. "Now come on! What kind of guardian are you if you're just gonna give up!"

Knuckles remained silent for a few moments, then clenched his fist with renewed determination. "You're right." Knuckles said as he rose to his feet. "I am the guardian of the Master Emerald. I refuse to let my home be destroyed without a fight!"

"That's the spirit, Knuckles!" Sonic said. "Tails and I can handle Penelope Pitstop! You've got an Emerald to save! Let's-!"

"Let's do it, to it, guys! Come on!" Knuckles ran towards the elevator lift. " _I can't believe I actually said that_." he thought to himself.

"Hey, that's my line!" Sonic said. "Tails, where is she, anyway?"

"Hold on..." Tails fiddled with his Miles Electric for a bit. "There! She's this way!" The duo ran through the mining area and into a tunnel. When they got to the other side, they found Knight Rider waiting for them by the racetrack. Next to her was a three-wheeled cart. "Glad to see you made it." Knight Rider said. "It's rude to keep a lady waiting, you know. Hop in that cart there."

Sonic and tails hopped in the cart, with Tails taking the wheel. So how does this work, anyway?" Tails asked.

"Simple." Knight Rider replied. "At the end of this track is the bomb, armed and ready to destroy Angel Island. She pulled out the flash drive. "All I have to do is upload the Detonator program and Angel Island goes up in flames. But if you manage to beat me to the bomb, then maybe you can stop Angel Island from turning into fireworks. So... think you can take the heat?"

"Bring it on!" Sonic shouted. "Just get ready to feel the burn!"

"HAHAHAHA! Let's ride!" Knight Rider pushed a button and Jimmy transformed into a motorcycle with a large, spiked wheel. Knight Rider then sped off on the track. "After her, Tails!" Sonic shouted. Tails took off after Knight Rider, managing to catch up to her despite her early start. As the combatants traversed the track, they were neck and neck, neither of them able to overtake the other.

Knight Rider pulled out a Medieval flail and began swinging at Sonic and Tails. "Say bye bye to the neck! Decapito!" Tails ducked to avoid the flail and Sonic grabbed it. "Hey, this is supposed to be a fair race!" Sonic said.

"All's fair in love and race!" Knight Rider replied. "This is the Fury Road! Here, we play for keeps!" She pulled the flail away and tried to take another swing at Sonic. Sonic tried to grab the flail, but it wrapped around his wrists. Knight Rider attempted to yank Sonic off the cart, but Sonic pulled on the chain and attempted to yank her off Jimmy, leading to a tug-of-war between them.

Meanwhile, the racers came across an area littered with geysers and were heading right for one. "Tails! Move to the left!" Sonic ordered. At his command, Tails veered to the left as Sonic yanked on the chain, pulling Knight Rider into the path of the geyser just as it erupted. Knight Rider screamed in agony as the steam from the geyser scalded her metallic skin, causing her to reflexively let go of the flail as she covered her burning eyes.

Sonic untied the chain around his wrists and tossed the flail at Knight Rider, knocking her clean off Jimmy. "That takes care of her!" Sonic said. "Now let's get to that bomb!"

"Right!" Tails said as he pushed his foot on the accelerator, speeding off. Meanwhile, Knight Rider recovered from her injuries and got back on Jimmy. "No one makes a fool out of the Knight Rider!" she roared as Jimmy chased after the duo, firing missiles from Jimmy's mouth. "I am the chosen one! The mighty hand of vengeance sent down to strike the unroadworthy!"

Sonic and Tails dodged the incoming bombardment. "Crazy tin can's got a few screws loose!" Sonic said. Knight Rider eventually caught up to them and moved in front of them. She pressed a button on Jimmy and the Motobug began blowing smoke from its exhaust pipe in the duo's faces. Taking advantage of the distraction, Knight Rider pulled out a pile of tacks and dropped them on the ground behind her.

Blinded by the smokescreen, Tails rolled over the tacks, causing the tires to blow out and send them spinning out of control. Knight Rider cackled with glee. "That'll teach you!" she said. "Now to claim my prize!" Knight Rider sped away, leaving Sonic and Tails in the dust. "What are we gonna do, Sonic?" Tails fearfully asked. "She's almost to the bomb! Angel Island's gonna-!"

"It isn't over yet, Tails!" Sonic said. "Time for a little teamwork!" He outstretched his hand. "Ready to roll?"

"You bet!" Tails replied as he took Sonic's hand. The two then curled into a blue and yellow ball and began to build up momentum before taking off like a rocket akin to the Spin Dash.

Meanwhile, Knight Rider had managed to reach the bomb, which was a large, white, cylindrical tower with Eggman's logo on it. "HAHAHA! Victory is mine!" she exclaimed. "I'm hotter than a rolling dice! I am THE KNIGHT RIDER!" Just as she reached the bomb, Sonic and Tails, still curled into a blue and yellow ball, smashed through Jimmy, destroying him and knocking her into the air.

The duo then leapt into the air and Tails threw Sonic at Knight Rider, smashing a hole clean through her torso and causing her to drop the flash drive, which landed right at Tails' feet. "We did it, Sonic!" Tails shouted. "Angel Island is safe!"

"Sorry, Knight Rider, your racing days are through!" Sonic declared.

"That's... what you... think..." came Knight Rider's weak reply. All of a sudden, an alarm rang through the caverns. "WARNING! BOMB IS ARMED! SELF DESTRUCT WILL OCCUR IN T-MINUS TEN MINUTES! EVACUATE IIMMEDIATELY!" the computer said, its voice sounding like Eggman. "What's going on?!" Sonic asked.

"Remember when I said that flash drive had the Detonator program?" Knight Rider asked. "I lied. The Detonator program was inside me, and destroying me activates the bomb! In ten minutes, Angel Island is history! Better say your goodbyes... while... you... can." With that, Knight Rider's glowing red eyes turned black as she deactivated.

"Tails, _please_ tell me you can disarm this thing!" Sonic said.

"Disarming a bomb in seven minutes?" Tails asked. "Difficult, but not impossible!" Tails pulled out his Miles Electric and plugged its extension cord into the computer, allowing him to hack into its hard drive. Tails began fiddling with the device, desperately trying to disarm the bomb. He was sweating profusely and it wasn't just from the heat of the volcano.

"T-MINUS FIVE MINUTES UNTIL DETONATION!" The computer said.

"Uh, Tails...?" Sonic asked, growing nervous. Tails ignored him and continued to hack the computer.

"T-MINUS TWO MINUTES UNTIL DETONATION!" The computer said.

"Anytime now, Tails!" Sonic shouted.

"Shut up, Sonic!" Tails snapped as he continued his work.

"FINAL COUNTDOWN IMMINENT!" the computer blared. "T-MINUS TEN SECONDS! NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN! SIX! FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO-!" Sonic closed his eyes and waited for the end, but before the computer could finish the countdown, it was suddenly cut off. Sonic opened his eyes to find that Tails had disarmed the bomb.

"See? Told you it wasn't impossible." Tails said, smirking confidently.

"Ha, I never doubted you for a second!" Sonic said.

"Sure, you didn't." Tails replied, rolling his eyes. "C'mon! Let's find Knuckles!"

"Hope he's not having too much fun without us!" Sonic said as the two ran out of the caverns.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Battle For The Master Emerald! Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ While Sonic and Tails stop Knight Rider from detonating a bomb in Angel Island's volcano, Knuckles races to the Hidden Palace to stop the Metal King from stealing the Master Emerald. Will the Guardian of the Master Emerald emerge victorious in this fight? Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter of _Sonic Mania!_**


	12. Ch 10 pt 2: Fight For The Master Emerald

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Sonic Mania! When Knuckles receives a premonition that the Master Emerald is in danger, Team Sonic heads back to Angel Island's Lava Reef Zone. There, they discover a plot to steal the Master Emerald and destroy the island with a bomb planted in the heart of the volcano. Sonic and Tails managed to defeat Knight Rider, one of the Hard-Boiled Heavies, and disarm the bomb in time. Now Knuckles races to the Hidden Palace to secure the Master Emerald.**

As Knuckles reached the door to the Hidden Palace, a fierce rumbling shook the underground room. Startled, Knuckles held on to one of the columns sq he steadied himself. Eventually the rumblings ceased. "What was that?" Knuckles asked. "I hope those guys disarmed that bomb." Knuckles entered the inner sanctum of the palace, which was a shrine that housed stone relics of the Super Emeralds, larger and more powerful versions of the Chaos Emeralds. The centerpiece of this magnificent shrine was the Master Emerald, virtually untouched.

Knuckles breathed a sigh of relief. "Safe as a newborn baby." he said. He didn't get to relax for long as an explosion soon rocked the shrine. "What is it _now?!_ " Knuckles asked in frustration. He looked up to see a hole in the ceiling. A mechanical claw emerged from the hole and lowered itself onto the Master Emerald. Riding on the claw was none other than the Metal King.

"It appears that Knight Rider has failed in her mission." Metal King said to himself, unaware that Knuckles was in the room with him. "Useless pile of scrap. In any case, she made an adequate distraction for me to steal the Master Emerald. Hmph, pathetic. A king forced to play errand boy for a pathetic organic. No matter, soon I'll have my time to shine."

The mechanical claw clamped down on the Master Emerald and began to hoist it out of the room. "Oh no, you don't!" Knuckles roared as he leapt into the air and punched the claw, knocking the Master Emerald free of its grasp and dropping it back on its pedestal. The Heavy King landed on the Master Emerald and glared at Knuckles. "And who are you?"

"I'm Knuckles, Guardian of the Master Emerald!" Knuckles replied. "And _you're_ about to be a pile of scrap!" Knuckles gathered energy in his fists and fired a Thunder Arrow at the Metal King. Metal King outstretched his hand and absorbed the lightning, channeling it into his scepter. "Pathetic." he said as he fired a laser beam from his scepter.

Knuckles was so stunned by the display that he forgot to dodge the beam and took a direct hit. "How'd you do that?" he asked.

"I can absorb energy." Metal King replied. "A gift from the Phantom Ruby. Observe." Metal King stabbed the Master Emerald with his scepter and began draining its power. "Leave it alone!" Knuckles roared as he lunged at Metal King, only to be repelled by his energy field, knocking him to the ground. Knuckles screamed in pain as the electricity surged through his body.

"Remarkable." Metal King said as he observed his body, which was radiating energy from the Master Emerald. The robot began to levitate in midair. "So this is the power of the fabled Master Emerald... Fascinating. I've never felt such raw power. It almost seems unfair that I may have to part with it soon. Oh well, I can at least have some fun beforehand!" Metal King fired another beam from his scepter.

Knuckles dodged it and returned fire with another Thunder Arrow, but the Metal King threw up an energy barrier to defend against it. Heavy King then fired lasers from his eyes. Knuckles cartwheeled to avoid the lasers, but they zigzagged around to strike him from behind. Knuckles snarled and lunged at Metal King again only for the Eggrobo to fire an energy blast from the palm of his hand, knocking him to the ground once more.

"For a so-called guardian, this is a rather pathetic showing from you, boy." Metal King said.

"Shut... your... _**MOUTH!**_ " Knuckles said as he pounced on the robot once more, this time landing a solid punch on his face. However, Metal King stood unfazed and tightly grabbed Knuckles' wrist, his grip like an iron vice. Knuckles screamed in pain as Metal King electrocuted him before throwing him against the wall. Metal King then conjured several energy orbs and threw them at Knuckles, burying him in rubble.

"And thus, a maggot dies." Metal King said. "Time to claim my prize." He turned around and walked towards the Master Emerald only to be stopped by a voice. "Where do you think _you're_ going?" Metal King turned around to see Knuckles digging himself out of the rubble, battered and bruised but still alive. "If you want the Master Emerald, you'll have to deal with me."

"I've already _dealt_ with you." Metal King replied coldly. "You are no longer worth my time."

"Well you're gonna have to make time." Knuckles said. "I'm the Guardian of the Master Emerald. My duty is to protect it at all costs! As long as I'm standing, as long as I can still draw a breath, I'll fight to the end!" Knuckles drew his Shovel Claws, tools he used for digging treasure and combat, and dropped into fighting stance.

"Then here's the end." Metal King raised his hand and summoned a large ball of energy. "Farewell." He reared his hand back and prepared to throw the energy ball, but he suddenly froze and fell on bended knee. The energy ball disappeared as the glow around his body faded. "What... What happened?!" Metal King asked.

"Looks like someone's hit his time limit." Knuckles said.

"What are you talking about?" Metal King asked.

"It's just like when Sonic uses the Chaos Emeralds:" Knuckles replied. "You burn through energy quickly and eventually you burn yourself out. There's a difference between having power and knowing how to use it. And you clearly don't know how to use it." Metal King snarled and took a swing at Knuckles with his scepter only for Knuckles to swipe at his scepter with his shovel claw, shattering the glass orb on top.

"My scepter!" Metal King shouted. The Eggrobo ran to the Master Emerald and tried to drain its power again. "Not this time!" Knuckles grabbed Metal King's cape and yanked him back towards him, then followed up with a Spiral Upper, knocking the robot into the air. Metal King landed on his back, his chest now having two scorch marks from Knuckles' Shovel Claws. He struggled to get to his feet only for Knuckles to stand on his chest, pointing his Shovel Claw directly at his eyes.

"Give Eggman a message:" Knuckles said. "He can have the Master Emerald over my dead body!" Metal King responded by firing lasers from his eyes, forcing Knuckles off his chest. Taking advantage of the distraction, Metal King leapt onto the mechanical claw. "To be continued, then." he said as the claw raised itself out of the shrine with the Metal King.

"Well that's the end of him." Knuckles said. He turned to the Master Emerald. "And the Master Emerald's safe at last. As much as I want to stay and keep it that way, Sonic and Tails still need my help. Don't worry though, I'll be back soon." Knuckles walked out of the shrine and into the next room where he found a Warp Point. "This should get me back to the others."

Knuckles touched the Warp Point and in a flash of light, found himself back on Angel Island's surface. Specifically, he was near the entrance to the Lava Reef Zone. And just in time too as Sonic and Tails emerged out of the cave entrance. "Hey guys." Knuckles said. "You disarmed the bomb?"

"Yep! Angel Island is safe at last!" Tails said. "How's the Master Emerald?"

"Safe and secure!" Knuckles replied with a thumbs up.

"I say it's time we stop chasing our tails!" Sonic said. "Let's take the fight straight to Eggman!"

"Not yet, Sonic!" Tails said. "We need to know what Eggman's plan is and this could help us!" He pulled out the decapitated head of Knight Rider. Both Sonic and Knuckles exchanged glances with each other before staring at Tails with raised eyebrows. "Uh, Tails? Why are you carrying the severed head of a dead robot?" Knuckles asked.

"Because her memory chip's still intact, which should give us vital Intel on Eggman's scheme." Tails said. "My workshop on Cocoa Island should be able to do the trick." He pulled out his Miles Electric and began fiddling with it. "Time to test that Warp Ring in my workshop." Seconds later, a portal emerged in front of the trio. "Alright, it works! Let's go!" The trio jumped through the portal.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, on Little Planet...**_

"You incompetent fool!" Eggman roared. Metal King had just reported that he had failed to steal the Master Emerald. Eggman took the news as well as one would expect. He had been ranting at Metal King for the past hour now with Omelette looking on, glad that he's not venting his anger on her. All the while, Metal King just stood and took the abuse, saying nothing and clenching his fist in growing anger.

"I gave you one simple task and you bungled it!" Eggman ranted. "The Master Emeralds power would have been the perfect ingredient to make the Titanic Monarch virtually invincible and you screwed it up, you ignorant collection of cogs! So what do you have to say for yourself?!"

Metal King remained silent for a moment, then finally said, "You know, I was going to wait until after I had the Master Emerald, but I think I've waited long enough." Metal King's eyes began glowing and before Eggman could react, he fired laser beams from his eyes, knocking Eggman to the ground.

"Uncle!" Omelette shouted as she rushed to Eggman's aid. She glared at Metal King. "What the heck do you think you're doing?!"

"What I've should've done long ago!" .Metal King said as he walked towards the container holding the Phantom Ruby. "I am taking what is rightfully mine! From this day forward, I am no one's slave!"

"That's what _you_ think!" Eggman reached for his wristwatch to activate the explosive in Metal King's head, only for Metal King to fire a laser from his finger, destroying it. "Nice try." Metal King said. He smashed the container and swiped the ruby. Just as he grabbed it, the ruby began to glow and displayed a vision of a city coated entirely in metal with statues and banners of Metal King everywhere.

"Beautiful..." Metal King said, lost in the vision. Unfortunately, he was too distracted to see Eggman charge at him, tackling him to the ground and knocking the ruby out of his hand. The two tyrants lunged at the ruby and engaged in a tug-of-war. "The Phantom Ruby's power is _**MINE!**_ " Eggman shouted.

"Such power is wasted on a lowly organic like you!" Metal King said. The two continued to pull on the ruby until it suddenly discharged a wave of energy that engulfed the room. In a flash of light, Metal King disappeared. "Wh-Where'd he go?!" Omelette asked.

" _I merely sent him away to another dimension_." a voice said.

"Who said that?!" Omelette asked.

" _Me_." Eggman looked down to see the Phantom Ruby glowing. "I was protecting you, good doctor."

"Wait, the Phantom Ruby can _talk?!_ " Omelette asked, dumbfounded.

"Of course!" Eggman replied as if it was obvious. "How do you think I was able to come up with the Titanic Monarch? It was the Phantom Ruby that suggested the idea."

"So you knew about this the whole time?!" Omelette asked. "Why didn't you say anything?"

" _I wanted it to be a surprise_." said the Phantom Ruby. " _But Metal King forced my hand, so to speak. I had to act. I am bound to serve the first one who touches me, after all._ "

"And the fact that you sent that traitor packing is proof of your loyalty!" Eggman said, turning to Omelette. "Now do you see why we can't just get rid of such a tremendous source of power? Come along, Ruby. Let's check on the status of the Titanic Monarch. It should be nearly complete by now. Even without the Master Emerald, your power combined with that of the seven Chaos Emeralds will still make this the ultimate weapon!"

" _Indeed_..." The Phantom Ruby replied. As Eggman left the room with the Phantom Ruby in tow, Omelette just stared in open-mouthed shock. The Phantom Ruby being sentient was one thing, but her uncle keeping secrets from her? Unbelievable. "That ruby is way too dangerous. I've got to get it away from Uncle. But he's too fixated with that ruby to listen to me. At this point, there's only one thing to do."

Omelette let out a sigh. She knew what she was about to do would be considered a betrayal, but she had no choice. " _Sorry Uncle_." she thought. " _But this is for your own good_."

With that, she walked out of the room and down the hall where the Chaos Emeralds were being held...

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Enemy of my Enemy. Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ As Team Sonic tries to figure out Eggman's endgame, Omelette arrives with an interesting proposal. But can she be trusted? Find out on the next exciting chapter of Sonic Mania!**

 **Author's Note: since the Phantom Ruby can talk in this fanfic, I recommend reading its lines in the voice of Infinite from _Sonic Forces s_ ince it ties into my upcoming _Sonic Forces_ fanfic.**


	13. Chapter 11: Enemy of my Enemy

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Sonic Mania! Team Sonic managed to thwart Eggman's plan to steal the Master Emerald and destroy Angel Island. With their task complete, the trio retreated to Tails' workshop on Cocoa Island to decipher Eggman's endgame. Meanwhile, Metal King attempted to steal the Phantom Ruby from Eggman only to be banished to another dimension by the ruby itself, which was revealed to not only be sentient, but capable of speech as well. Realizing that the ruby is far too dangerous, Omelette is forced to take drastic measures...**

 **Author's Note: Three very special guests make an appearance in this chapter. Also, remember when I recommended that you read Omelette's lines in the voice of Viridi from _Kid Icarus_? I correct myself. I now recommended reading her lines in the voice of Peridot from _Steven Universe_.**

"Okay, so here's what we know." Tails said. Knight Rider's head had been hooked up to some wires. Tails had been shifting through the fallen Eggrobo's memory chip to discover what Eggman's been planning and it appears he's found something. Tails pressed a button on the keyboard and a wireframe model of what appeared to be a giant robot emerged on screen.

"This is what Eggman's been up to." Tails began. "This is the Titanic Monarch. It's a giant robot designed to harness the energy of the Phantom Ruby as well as the Chaos Emeralds."

"And the Master Emerald." Knuckles said. "That's why his robots were on Angel Island. Having a weapon powered with all those gemstones would be the perfect war machine."

"It gets worse." Tails said. "According to Knight Rider's memory banks, the Titanic Monarch is nearly operational. Once it's complete, Eggman will be able to conquer the world in mere weeks. Maybe days."

"Then what the heck are we sitting around here for?" Sonic asked. "Let's get to Little Planet and break Eggman's new toy!"

"Hold up, Sonic." Tails said. "Eggman probably knows we're coming and will most likely have the robot under heavy guard. Maybe if I take another look through her memory banks, I can-" Tails was cut off mid sentence by the blare of the alarm. "An intruder?!" Tails exclaimed. The trio ran outside and saw none other than Omelette standing at the door. "What are you doing here, Omelette?!" Sonic demanded.

"No need for alarm, hedgehog." Omelette replied as she threw a briefcase at his feet. "I come bearing gifts." Team Sonic exchanged confused and suspicious glances with one another. Everything about this scenario screamed "It's a trap!", but regardless, Sonic slowly and cautiously opened the briefcase, which for all he knew could've been rigged to explode or filled with knockout gas. Whatever the case, he steeled himself for the inevitable booby trap...

...only for reality to trump fiction in a manner most extraordinary.

Sonic opened the briefcase and what he saw next made his jaw hit the ground. It was the seven Chaos Emeralds! The trio stared in open-mouthed shock before turning their gaze to Omelette, eyebrows raised in suspicion. "What's this about, Omelette?" Sonic asked.

"I need your help." Omelette replied sternly. "I need you to save my uncle."

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, on Little Planet...**_

" _ **WHERE ARE THEY?!**_ " Eggman roared, his voice echoing through the base. One of his Egg Pawns had reported that the Chaos Emeralds were missing from the vault. Suffice it to say, this was not the type of news he wanted to hear when his master plan was nearly complete. " _Where are the Chaos Emeralds?!_ Who could've stolen them?!"

" _Why ask that which you already know?_ " a voice said. Eggman looked in his hand to see the Phantom Ruby glowing. " _Whoever stole the emeralds must've had access to the vault codes. The only ones with that access are you and_..." Eggman knew what the Phantom Ruby was implying, but his heart refused to believe it. "She... she wouldn't do that." Eggman said.

"Really? _Then where is she?_ " The ruby asked. Eggman fell silent, his expression one of heartbreak. A single tear fell from his eye. "How could she do this?" he asked softly. "She was like a daughter to me." The Phantom Ruby began glowing brighter as it created two ethereal hands to grab at his shoulders.

" _Don't you see, good doctor?_ " the ruby began. " _She was jealous of your power. She was obviously planning on betraying you from the start. But you don't need her. You don't need anyone. All you need... is my power. But if we are to make your desires a reality, we will need the Chaos Emeralds. We need to get them back. You know what you need to do_."

As Eggman stared into the ruby's hypnotic light, he quickly fell into a trance. His blue glasses turned completely red. He pressed a button on his wristwatch, which was repaired after Metal King's rebellion. That's when seven Egg Hammers teleported into the room. They were essentially larger and stronger versions of the standard Egg Pawns and as their name implies, they wielded giant hammers. Six of them were grey and one of them was purple. The purple one wore a red helmet to signify its status as the leader.

"Retrieve the Chaos Emeralds." Eggman said coldly. "Do whatever it takes."

* * *

 _ **Back at Tails' workshop...**_

"So, let me see if I got this right." Sonic said. "You want us to help you stop Eggman's crazy scheme? Why? Why are you suddenly turning against your uncle?"

"Because it's the only way to save him from the Phantom Ruby." Omelette replied.

"Save him from the Phantom Ruby?" Knuckles asked. "I thought it was your greatest weapon?"

"It was... until I found out that it was sentient." Omelette said.

"Wait, the Phantom Ruby is _alive?_ " Tails asked.

"Well that _is_ the definition of sentient, isn't it?" came Omelette's sarcastic reply. "Either the ruby itself is sentient or there's something inside it that's sentient. Whatever the case, it's not only sentient, but it's dangerous. It's done something to Uncle's mind. Made him crazy. Well, crazier. I tried to warn him about the ruby, but he won't listen to me! All he cares about is that ruby! That's why I need your help. The only way to bring Uncle to his senses is to destroy the Phantom Ruby."

"Okay, forgive my skepticism, but why should we believe you?" Sonic asked. "This whole story is a bit hard to swallow. How do we know that you're not making the whole thing up?" Omelette walked towards Sonic until she was right in his face, glaring directly in his eyes.

"Sonic, I won't insult your intelligence, so please don't insult mine." Omelette said coldly. "I stole the Chaos Emeralds from my uncle, essentially committing the ultimate betrayal. I came here alone and unarmed save for a laser gun which I doubt is going to be very effective against the three of you. And now I am practically groveling before my uncle's sworn enemies. Do you _really_ think I would do all that if I didn't desperately need your help?!"

The two stared at each other, as if sizing each other up and waiting for the other to blink first. The staring contest was interrupted by a thunderous crash. The two turned to see the forest trees being uprooted as seven Egg Hammers emerged from the forest. Six of them were grey while their leader was purple and wore a red helmet.

"Oh no, they must have tracked me!" Omelette said.

"Or you _led_ them here!" Knuckles shouted.

"Don't be a clod!" Omelette retorted. "I came here to ask for your help! I wouldn't bring a robot army with me! Anyway, I'll handle this!" Omelette walked up to the Egg Hammers. "Stand down, troops!" she commanded.

"NEGATIVE. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: RETRIEVE THE CHAOS EMERALDS." The leader replied.

"Objective overruled. Now stand down." Omelette said.

"NEGATIVE. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: RETRIEVE THE CHAOS EMERALDS." the leader repeated. "OBJECTIVE SUPERSEDES ALL OTHER COMMANDS."

"Deactivation code 21XYZ!" Omelette shouted.

"CODE REJECTED. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: **RETRIEVE THE CHAOS EMERALDS**." The leader raised his hammer and prepared to attack. Sonic rushed to Omelette's aid and pushed her out of the way just as the hammer struck the ground. "Seems you and your robot buddies had a falling out." Sonic joked.

"Uncle must've changed the command codes." Omelette replied. "Do you believe me now?"

"Let's just say I'm reserving judgment for now." Sonic replied. "Get the Chaos Emeralds and hide in the workshop! We'll keep these guys busy!" Omelette nodded and ran towards the workshop, grabbing the briefcase and running inside.

"Alright guys! We can't let these clowns have the Chaos Emeralds!" Sonic said. "Time to send these Tin Woodsmen back to Oz in pieces! Let's do it to it, gang!"

"Right!" Tails and Knuckles shouted. Knuckles drew his Shovel Claws and his Hammer Gloves and charged at one of the Egg Hammers. He lunged at the robot and delivered several rapid punches to its face. To his shock, his blows had no effect and the Egg Hammers backhanded him, knocking him to the ground. "Careful guys, these are a little sturdier than what we're used to!" Knuckles said.

Tails found himself surrounded by three Egg Hammers. The young fox spun in place, tossing Ring Bombs in all different directions. The Ring Bombs didn't faze them and Tails flew upwards to escape, only for one of the Egg Hammers to grab him.

"Tails!" Sonic ran to his friend's aid only to be stopped by the lead Egg Hammer. Sonic launched several Spin Attacks at the lead Egg Hammer, but the robot grabbed him and threw him to the ground. The leader raised his hammer and prepared to deliver the final blow. But suddenly, a small red and yellow hammer was thrown at the leader's head, staggering the robot and knocking his helmet off.

"Keep your mitts off my future husband!" a voice shouted. Sonic's eyes widened. He knew all too well who that voice belonged to and when he turned to look behind him, his suspicions were confirmed. Behind him was a female hedgehog with pink fur. Her attire consisted of a red headband, a green top with an orange skirt, white gloves, and sneakers with red laces on them. It was Amy Rose, Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend. In her hand was her trademark Piko Piko Hammer.

"Amy?! What are you doing here?!" Sonic asked.

"What's it look like?" Amy asked. "I'm saving my boyfriend. I was relaxing on the beach when I heard the commotion."

"First off, I'm not your boyfriend." Sonic replied flatly. "Second off, get out of here! It's too dangerous!"

"Don't worry, Sonic." Amy said. "I'm not alone!" At that moment, a red ball shot forth from the forest and smashed itself into the lead Egg Hammer's face, knocking it to the ground. The ball landed in front of Sonic and uncurled itself, revealing to be the shell of an armadillo with tan skin, white gloves, and red sneakers. This was Mighty the Armadillo.

"Mighty?!" Knuckles exclaimed happily. "Is that you?!"

"Miss me, Knux?" Mighty teased. "And I've got another old friend with me." What appeared to be a yellow flash of lightning quickly descended from the sky and struck the Egg Hammer holding Tails, staggering the robot while freeing the young fox. The yellow flash was revealed to be a flying squirrel with yellow fur that wore sneakers, a scarf, and goggles, all colored blue. This was Ray, the Flying Squirrel, another longtime friend of Sonic and Tails.

"Ray?!" Tails asked in astonishment. "How's you find us?!"

"The one and only!" Ray replied. "Mighty and I were flying over the island and we saw the smoke, so we decided to help!"

"Well would you look at that!" Sonic said as he rose to his feet. "The gang's all here! Now that we've evened the playing field, let's send these guys back to the junkyard!" The lead Egg Hammer moved to attack Sonic and Amy only to be once again staggered, this time by a laser shot from Omelette's laser gun.

"Everyone! Aim for their joints and heads!" she said. "The armor plating's weakest there!"

"Thanks for the advice!" Sonic replied. "Amy, time for some Croquet Bomber!"

"Right!" Amy replied. The lead Egg Hammer charged at the two hedgehogs, but Sonic curled into a ball and prepared his Spin Dash. Amy moved behind him and smacked him with her Piko Piko Hammer, sending him flying into the lead Egg Hammer and knocking his head clean off his shoulders. The Egg Hammer's body fell to the ground. "Nice shot, Amy!" Sonic said.

"Thanks! I've been practicing!" Amy replied.

One of the Egg Hammers swung his Hammer at Mighty, only for the armadillo to grab the hammer and wrench it out of his hand. He then swung the hammer at the robot's legs, destroying them and crippling the Egg Hammer. He then brought the hammer down on the robot's head, crushing it.

Another Egg Hammer attempted to punch Mighty only for Knuckles to jump in and grab the Egg Hammer's fist. Seeing his chance, Mighty leapt into the air, curled into a ball and performed his Hammer Drop, crashing to the ground and splintering the Egg Hammer's arm off. Knuckles then threw the arm at the Egg Hammer, impaling it through the chest.

"Not bad, Knuckles!" Mighty cheered. "You've grown stronger than the last time we met!"

"You're no slouch yourself!" Knuckles replied. "You've been training hard, huh?"

"Indeed." Mighty said. "I may not like violence, but I won't leave myself defenseless."

Meanwhile, Tails and Ray were surrounded by the remaining three Egg Hammers. The two exchanged brief glances and nodded before taking to the air. The two grabbed hands and began to fly around in a circle, quickly picking up speed until they formed a massive tornado that carried the three Egg Hammers up and tossed them off the island. Tails and Ray landed on the ground as the others rushed to meet them.

"That was awesome!" Ray said.

"Yeah, we showed those clunkers who's boss!" Tails replied. "Unbeknownst to them the lead Egg Hammer's head sprouted spider legs and moved to attack the group. "Now we can-" Tails was cut short by the sound of a laser being fired. They looked to see the lead Egg Hammer's head fall to the ground in a flaming heap. Standing behind it was Omelette with her laser gun.

"I trust I've proven that I'm on your side, yes?" Omelette snidely asked.

"Okay, Omelette, we believe you." Sonic replied. "You wouldn't have helped us out if you weren't serious."

"Anyway, now we focus on stopping Eggman!" Tails said.

"But he's all the way on Little Planet." Knuckles said. "How do we get to him? The Tornado's still busted!"

"And I can't carry all of you." Ray said. "I have trouble just carrying Mighty on my back!"

"Hey!" Mighty snapped.

"I happen to have a solution." Omelette said as she went inside the workshop with the other six following close behind. She took them to Tails' experimental Warp Ring. "During your fight, I managed to reprogram your little teleporter."

"Hey! I just use that so I can get to my workshop." Tails said.

"Yes, well I managed to make some modifications." Omelette replied as she went to the keyboard and began typing. The Warp Ring immediately whirred to life. "If my calculations are correct, this should take you straight to the Titanic Monarch. I'll stay behind and act as Mission Control. Also, take these." She handed the briefcase with the Chaos Emeralds to Sonic.

"You're handing us the Chaos Emeralds?" Sonic asked.

"Yes." Omelette replied. "The Phantom Ruby is powerful. And I think the Chaos Emeralds are the only thing that can match it. Please Sonic... Save my uncle."

"Don't worry, I will." Sonic said. He turned to the others. "Amy, Mighty, Ray, you saved our lives back there. Think you can help us out?"

"I'd do _**anything**_ for you, my dreamboat!" Amy said.

"I'm not fond of violence, but if it means stopping Eggman, then I'll lend you my strength." Mighty said.

"And anywhere Mighty goes, I go!" Ray said.

"Then it's settled!" Sonic said. "It's up to us to stop Eggman! Let's do it, to it, gang! Come on!" With that, the six of them jumped through the Warp Ring, eager for the final showdown with Eggman.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Metallic Madness! Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ A miscalculation on Omelette's part sends the gang to the Metallic Madness Zone. As they traverse the factory, they are attacked by Eggman, who uses his shrink ray to miniaturize them and force them into another sadistic game. Can our incredible shrinking heroes escape the factory alive? Find out on the next exciting chapter of _Sonic Mania!_**


	14. Chapter 12: Metallic Madness!

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on** ** _Sonic Mania!_** **Omelette arrives at Tails' workshop with the Chaos Emeralds in tow to propose an alliance with Team Sonic in hopes of saving her beloved uncle from the Phantom Ruby's vile influence. Though the team was reluctant to trust her, they were quickly forced to team up to take down a group of robots sent by Eggman to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds. With some unexpected aid from Amy Rose, Mighty the Armadillo, and Ray the Flying Squirrel, they managed to defeat the robots. Now, with Omelette's guidance, the Sonic Six head to Little Planet in hopes of stopping Eggman once and for all.**

 **Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Was distracted by all the E3 news. Two chapters left. We're almost at the end game! Also, happy belated birthday, Sonic! Live long and run fast!**

A portal opened up and Team Sonic walked out of it with a small drone floating just above them. Upon stepping out of the portal, they looked around in confusion. Instead of arriving at the Titanic Monarch, the group found themselves in a factory of sorts. "Yo, Omelette." Sonic said. "This doesn't look like the Titanic Monarch."

" _I'm fully aware of that, Sonic_." Omelette replied. " _Hang on a sec. Uh-oh_."

"What is it?" Tails asked.

" _It seems that in my haste to teleport you all straight to Uncle, I failed to take the Phantom Ruby's space-time manipulation abilities into account._ " Omelette said.

"In English?" Knuckles asked.

" _The Phantom Ruby threw off my calculations and instead of teleporting you to the Titanic Monarch, you ended up redirected to the Metallic Madness Zone_." Omelette said. That earned her a collective groan from the group. "You gotta be kidding me!" Knuckles said as he facepalmed.

"That's just great!" Amy complained.

"What'll we do now?!" Ray asked.

" _Oh, don't get your panties in a twist!_ " Omelette said. " _The Titanic Monarch isn't far from here. In fact, once you make it out of the factory, you'll be in the city where the robot is._ "

"Well, there's no sense in complaining." Sonic said. "C'mon guys! We've got a robot to trash! Let's do it, to it!" With that, the gang made their way through the factory, unaware that a security camera had been watching them the whole time...

* * *

In a security room deep within the factory sat Eggman with the Phantom Ruby in his hand. A malicious smile tugged at his face as his crimson eyes shined with malevolence. "Seems my factory has a rodent infestation." he said. The Phantom Ruby began glowing. " _Yes, they seem determined to stop your grand plan, doctor_." the ruby spoke. " _You must show them why such determination is misplaced._ "

"Indeed, I shall." Eggman said as he began typing on the keyboard...

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonic and the gang continued to navigate through the factory when suddenly, the alarm began blaring. Startled, the gang dropped into battle stances and formed a circle with their backs facing one another. "Eggman knows we're here, guys!" Sonic said. "Stay sharp!" The six of them waited anxiously, fully prepared to face whatever Eggman had planned for them.

Unbeknownst to them, however, a laser gun emerged from an opening in the ceiling and began charging a laser. Knuckles looked upwards and saw the laser primed and ready to fire. "Guys, move!" he shouted. But it was too late. The laser fired on the gang and in an instant, they found themselves reduced to the size of mice. "What just happened?!" Mighty asked.

"We've been shrunk!" Tails yelled. "Another of the doctor's shrink rays!"

"Well we need to get back to normal size!" Sonic said. "Tails, fly up and see if you can't rewire that shrink ray to fix us!"

" _That's the least of your problems!_ " Eggman's voice bellowed through the loudspeaker. Suddenly a hole appeared underneath the gang and they fell through it. Sliding down a narrow tube, the group landed inside what appeared to be a large dome. Emerging from the shadows, a giant Eggman came into view, his red eyes glowing with malice. He had the Phantom Ruby in one hand and the shrink ray in the other hand. "Well, well, well." Eggman said. "Looks as if I've caught some vermin..."

His eyes narrowed upon catching sight of Omelette's flying drone. "...And a filthy traitor."

"Uncle, please!" Omelette pleaded. "I only-!"

"Silence!" Eggman snapped. "To think my own flesh and blood would _turn against me?!_ All this time you've been plotting behind my back! I treated you like my own daughter and _**this**_ is how you repay me?!"

"She did that because she cares about you, moron!" Sonic replied. "That ruby's done something to your mind!"

"Indeed. It has given me clarity." Eggman replied. "It taught me that I needn't rely on anything but its power. The power to remake the very fabric of this world!"

"Remake the world? Please." Knuckles scoffed. "Just give us the ruby before we take it from you!"

"The only thing you'll take is your final breaths!" Eggman pressed a button on the keyboard and six holes opened up in front of the gang. What emerged from the holes were six robots that were designed to resemble miniature T-Rexes. Each one of them had a mouth filed with rows of razor-sharp teeth and a single, yellow headlight that served as an "eye". Each one was armed with dual weaponry: One was armed with twin chainsaws, one was armed with dual swords, another had dual hammers, one had twin gatling guns, one had three sharp claws, and the last one had twin flamethrowers.

"What do you think?" Eggman asked. "I got the idea from a TV show I watched. I usually have them to clean up around the factory, but these six I made _especially_ for you. Egg Mousers, attack!" At his command, the Mousers screeched and charged at the gang.

"Let's do it, to it, gang!" Sonic said. "We've got robots to scrap!" The group charged and engaged the Mousers in battle. Sonic raced towards the one with the sharp claws. The Mouser swiped at Sonic with its claws, only for Sonic to leap over its head and perform a Homing Attack, smashing clean into its eye. Blinded, the Mouser wildly swung its claws, desperately trying to hit Sonic.

Sonic took advantage of this and performed a Spin Dash, smashing through both of the Mouser's legs and knocking it to the ground. He then finished it off with a Spin Dash through its head. But the Blue Blur didn't get a chance to relax as he was soon attacked by the flamethrower-wielding Mouser. The Mouser unleashed its flames on Sonic, but the hedgehog rapidly spun his arms, generating twin tornadoes that redirected the flames back at the Mouser. The intense heat caused the Mouser to melt into slag.

Meanwhile, the chainsaw Mouser charged at Tails, who opened fire on the robot with his new Arm Cannon, firing orbs of electricity. Unfortunately, the Mouser deflected his shots with its chainsaws. The Mouser opened its jaws and attempted to swallow Tails whole. Tails pulled out several Ring Bombs and threw them in the Mouser's mouth, causing the robot's head to explode.

Mighty faced off against the gatling Mouser. The robot opened fire with it's gatling guns, but Mighty curled into a ball and rolled towards the Mouser, its gunshots reflecting off of his hard shell. The Mouser lunged at Mighty and attempted to swallow him whole, but Mighty leapt into the air and came crashing down with his Hammer Drop, smashing a hole through the Mouser's torso.

The sword-wielding Mouser swung its blades at Knuckles, who blocked the blades with his Hammer Gloves. When the Mouser tried to stab him, Knuckles grabbed and yanked the Mouser's arm off. He then leapt into the air and sliced the Mouser in half, killing it instantly.

Knuckles turned to see Amy and Ray struggling to defeat the hammer Mouser. Ray dived at the Mouser from above only for the robot to swat him away like a fly. "Ray!" Amy screamed as she ran to the Flying Squirrel's aid. The Mouser raised its hammer, ready to strike the final blow. Amy raised her Piko Piko Hammer, ready to defend herself. Before either of them could do anything, Knuckles threw the Sword Mouser's blade through the Hammer Mouser's neck, killing it.

"I could've taken him, you know!" Amy snapped.

"I know." Knuckles replied with a cheeky grin. "But I was just trying to be a gentleman."

"Well it's better when Sonic does it." Amy said. She turned to Ray. "You okay, Ray?"

"I'm fine." Ray replied, slurring a bit as he clumsily got to his feet, still dazed from the Mouser's hammer.

"That all you got, Eggman?!" Sonic challenged.

"Not quite!" Eggman retorted. "There's plenty more where that came from!" More holes opened up in the floor as more Mousers emerged, each armed with different weapons. "Attack, my pets!" Eggman commanded.

"This is getting nowhere!" Mighty said. "There's too many to fight!" That's when he spotted the Gatling gun dropped by one of the Mousers. From the look of it, it seemed to be still functional. He rolled to it, grabbed it and opened fire on the Mousers, cutting them down in an instant. Eggman looked on, completely stunned. Mighty took advantage of the distraction and threw the gatling gun at the glass dome with all his strength, breaking a hole in the dome.

"Now's our chance!" Mighty shouted. "Knuckles, throw me!"

"Right!" Knuckles replied. Mighty curled into a ball and Knuckles grabbed and threw Mighty through the hole and right at Eggman. When he was close enough, Mighty uncurled himself and landed a punch squarely in Eggman's nose, knocking the doctor to the ground and knocking both the Phantom Ruby and the shrink ray out of his hands.

The shrink ray clattered to the ground, causing it to accidentally turn itself on and fire a laser beam at the gang, restoring them to normal size. Eggman panicked and grabbed the Phantom Ruby, but before he could move, Sonic blocked his path. "What's your hurry, doc?" Sonic coyly asked. It didn't take long for the other five to surround him and cut off all his escape routes.

"You're surrounded, Eggman!" Tails shouted. "Give us the ruby and no one gets hurt!"

" _Please, uncle! See reason!_ " Omelette pleaded. " _Just give them the ruby! We can take over the world without it!_ "

"Never!" Eggman shouted. "It's power is mine and mine alone!"

" _Doctor... Cover your eyes_." the Phantom Ruby spoke, much to the surprise of everyone. "Did that ruby just... talk?" Knuckles asked. While everyone was distracted, Eggman closed his eyes and raised the Phantom Ruby into the air. A brilliant flash of light emanated from the ruby, blinding everyone around Eggman. The Phantom Ruby then created a portal underneath Eggman's feet that he fell through.

When the light faded, everyone looked to see that Eggman had escaped yet again. "Aw, crud!" Sonic complained. "We almost had him!"

"Where do you think he went this time?" Amy asked.

"The only place he can go: the Titanic Monarch." Knuckles replied.

"You were right, Omelette." Tails said. "The Phantom Ruby _is_ alive."

"Now do you see why I needed your help?" Omelette replied. "That ruby is dangerous! We have to destroy it!"

"Well there's no sense in standing around here!" Sonic said. "Let's go, gang!" The group made their way down the corridor until they reached a large shutter door. Sonic pressed a button on the wall panel and the door opened up to reveal a large metallic city. "Here's the exit, guys!" Tails said. Just as he took one foot outside, lightning lit up the sky as a furious thunderclap shattered the silence. In the distance, they could see the Titanic Monarch in all its glory. It was basically a gigantic Eggrobo that resembled a fusion of Eggman and the Metal King.

Startled, Tails screamed and leaped into Sonic's arms. "I'm afraid of lightning!" he said.

Sonic rolled his eyes and turned to the gang. "This is it, everyone." he said. "Eggman's got nowhere left to run! It's time to destroy the Phantom Ruby! We stop him here or we die trying! Let's do it, to it, gang!"

"Yeah!" the others replied in unison, raising their fists into the air. With that, the group ran out to what may be their final confrontation with Eggman.

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Built To Rule. Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ Sonic and the group race inside the Titanic Monarch in hopes of finally putting an end to Eggman's schemes. But the mad doctor is ready for them with a few surprises of his own. Who will emerge victorious when the curtain falls? Everything is on the line in the next exciting chapter of _Sonic Mania!_**


	15. Chapter 13: Built To Rule!

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Sonic Mania! A miscalculation with the teleporter results in Sonic and the gang being teleported to the Metallic Madness Zone. No sooner had they arrived, they were captured by Eggman, who tried to dispose of them with his Mousers. After surviving the doctor's deadly trap, the gang raced to the city and to the Titanic Monarch in hopes of stopping Eggman once and for all.**

 **Author's Note: One chapter left! We're almost to the end.**

A dark portal opened up in the control room of the Titanic Monarch as Eggman fell through it with the Phantom Ruby in hand. "That was too close for comfort." Eggman said.

" _Indeed_." the Phantom Ruby replied. " _But we mustn't tarry, doctor. Sonic and the others will be here soon. You know what you must do_."

"Yes." Eggman replied. He pressed a button on the computer and from the floor rose a fairly large mech suit. The suit itself was in the shape of an egg, colored burgundy on top and light blue on the bottom. The appendages of the mech suit were gray and burgundy with light blue hands and orange shoes. It also had six piledrivers pressing into the top of the suit; these piledrivers were gray with two yellow lines. The suit opened with a mechanical hiss, steam billowing out of its maw.

Eggman smirked and placed the Phantom Ruby on the suit. He then hopped into the suit. Four metallic tendrils shot out from its back to each corner of the room, allowing the mech suit to hold its own weight. These tethers had eight ball joints, each green with a yellow X-shaped mark and a blue dot in the middle of the mark inscribed on each ball joint.

"It's time the whole world feared our power." he said as the computer screens in the room whirred to life.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, in the city...**_

Sonic and the gang raced through the futuristic metropolis until they reached the heart of the city where the Titanic Monarch was located. At a closer look, the Monarch resembled one of Eggman's Death Egg Robots Particularly, it looked like a twisted fusion of Eggman and the Metal King. True to its name, the robot was so large that Sonic and the group looked like ants in comparison.

"So this is the Titanic Monarch..." Tails trailed off, staring in awe. "Impressive."

" _Why thank you!_ " Omelette chimed in. " _We did work hard on it, after all_."

"Guys, you can nerd-bond some other time." Sonic said. "Let's focus on turning this thing into an impressive ball of scrap! Omelette, any ideas?"

" _Well, we could_ -" Omelette was cut short by a fierce rumbling. "What the heck?!" Knuckles asked. "An earthquake?!"

" _Worse_." Omelette replied. " _The Titanic Monarch's coming online!_ " The gang looked up to see the Titanic Monarch's eyes glowing red. The robot slowly lifted its leg and the group scrambled to safety as it brought its foot down onto the pavement with a thunderous stomp. The Monarch slowly made its way through the city.

"We can't let that thing leave Little Planet!" Sonic shouted. "Omelette, we need a way inside!"

"There should be an emergency hatch somewhere on its back!" Omelette replied.

"Ray and I can fly up and look!" Tails said. "Everyone, grab your Link Rings!" The group pulled out their Link Rings as Tails and Ray took to the air. Tethers made from energy sparkles connected the rings together as the gang was lifted off the ground. Ray and Tails frantically searched for an entrance until they found a door. "There!" Tails said. The two opened the door and flew in with the rest of the gang still holding onto the Link Rings.

The gang ran through the corridor until they reached the heart of the Monarch, which was not at all what they were expecting. While the inside of the Monarch was filled with mechanical devices like any good machine, there were also stained-glass windows depicting Eggman, the Hard-Boiled Heavies, the Chaos Emeralds, and the Phantom Ruby, making the Monarch feel like a cathedral. Also, there was a strange sparkly magenta mist that permeated the area.

"Well this is something different." Sonic said. "Hey Tails, what's the deal with all this mist?"

"Scanning now." Tails said as he fiddled with his Miles Electric. "According to my Miles Electric, this mist has the same weird energy signature as the Phantom Ruby. My guess is that it's a byproduct of Eggman abusing the ruby's power. We better be careful, if this mist is anything like the ruby, then it's a safe bet that touching it will teleport us to a different part of the mech."

" _Uncle is in the cranial unit, controlling the Monarch_." Omelette said. " _We have to find a way up there!_ "

" _Better yet, why don't I lend you a hand!_ " Eggman's voice echoed through the Monarch.

"Eggman! Show yourself, coward!" Knuckles demanded. As if to respond to Knuckles' challenge, two giant phantom hands appeared. "Everyone, scatter!" Sonic yelled. But it was too late. The hands grabbed the gang before they even had a chance to run. The hands crystallized and hardened as the space began to twist and distort. In a flash of light, the group found themselves transported to the head of the Monarch. There was Eggman in his mech suit, watching with malicious glee.

"I'm so glad you came to visit me at the hour of my greatest triumph." Eggman said. "Witness this invincible robot, built by the hands of a genius! And my Phantom Egg allows me to control the Monarch with just my thoughts alone! With the Phantom Ruby as its power source, its power is unmatched throughout the universe! Once I kill you and take the Chaos Emeralds, no force on this planet will be able to stop me!"

Omelette's drone flew up to Eggman, its screen displaying the pleading face of the doctor's only niece. " _Uncle, please!_ " Omelette begged. " _Don't you see what that ruby's doing to you?! This has to end! Just give us the ruby. We don't need it._ "

"Correction: I don't need _you_ , you traitor." Eggman coldly replied. "And once I've killed your new friends, I'm coming for you next."

" _Uncle, wait-!_ " That was all Omelette was able to say before Eggman crushed the drone with one of the Phantom Egg's tentacles.

"How could you do that?!" Sonic demanded. "She cares about you, Eggman!"

"You should be more worried about what I'm going to do to _you!_ " Eggman shouted as he fired missiles from the top of the Phantom Egg. The gang dodged the missiles, but Knuckles grabbed one and tossed it back at Eggman, who used the Phantom Egg's tentacles to hoist himself out of the way.

"Guess negotiations have failed." Mighty mused. "Fine with me!" Mighty leapt at Eggman and delivered several rapid punches to Eggman. However, his blows were deflected by an energy barrier generated by the Phantom Ruby. Eggman gathered energy in between his hands and fired a blast that sent Mighty flying back. Sonic landed several Spin Dashes on Eggman, but all were repelled by Eggman's energy barrier. The doctor knocked Sonic away with one of his tentacles.

Knuckles gathered electricity in his hands and fired a Thunder Arrow at Eggman, but it too was deflected by the Phantom Egg's energy barrier. Eggman conjured several crimson energy cubes, coalescing them into giant spiked balls that he threw at Knuckles. Knuckles punched the spiked balls, his blows causing them to dissolve into cubes.

"He can create objects out of nothing?!" Tails exclaimed.

"And so much more!" Eggman declared as he raised his hands and conjured more energy cubes. This time, the cubes took the shapes of Blaster Master, Frostblade, Spellbinder, and Knight Rider on Jimmy in his motorcycle mode. "Attack my Phantom Heavies!" Eggman commanded. Knight Rider charged at the gang, but Mighty curled into a ball and slammed into the Eggrobo, tearing a hole through her chest and causing her to dissolve into cubes.

Mighty uncurled just as Frostblade attempted to slash him from behind. However, the blade bounced off of Mighty's shell and snapped in two. Frostblade stared at his broken blade in shock as Mighty grabbed Frostblade and brutally ripped his head off, the Eggrobo's body breaking into cubes. With him gone, Mighty decided to help Sonic fight Eggman.

Knuckles charged at Spellbinder and attempted to land a punch, only for Spellbinder to teleport away and blast him from behind with a shot of dark energy, knocking him to the ground. Spellbinder conjured a large chainsaw and attempted to attack Knuckles, only for Amy to leap in front of him and whack Spellbinder with her Piko Piko hammer, sending the Eggrobo flying backwards.

"I could've taken her, you know." Knuckles said as he rose to his feet and dusted himself off.

"I know. I'm just returning the favor." Amy replied with a coy smile and wink.

Ray flew around the room as he attempted to avoid Blaster Master, who opened fire on the flying squirrel with his rocket launcher. Meanwhile, Tails snuck up behind Blaster Master and aimed his Thunder Shot before firing a blast of electricity right at Blaster Master's jetpack, causing it to explode and take the Eggrobo with it.

"Nice shot, Tails!" Ray said as he gave a thumbs up.

"Thanks!" Tails replied? "Before they could do anything else, two of Eggman's tentacles shot out and grabbed the two. "This fight is over." Eggman hissed.

"Let them go, Eggman!" Sonic demanded.

"You're in no position to make demands, you filthy rodent." Eggman replied. "You'll hand over the Chaos Emeralds or they die!"

"Sonic, don't listen to him!" Tails said. "We'll be-AHHH!" Ray and Tails screamed in agony as they were electrocuted by Eggman's tentacles. "STOP IT, EGGMAN!" Sonic yelled. Eggman continued to torture Tails and Ray as the gang looked on with anger. Mighty, in particular, clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he watched his best friend be tortured. His anger swelled and grew within him.

" _ **THAT'S ENOUGH!**_ " Mighty yelled as he tackled Eggman to the ground, freeing Ray and Tails from his grasp. Mighty repeatedly punched Eggman, putting dents in the Phantom Egg's armor. Because Eggman's tentacles were still electrified, he couldn't create an energy barrier. Mighty grabbed Eggman and threw him into the main computer, the electrified tentacles shorting out the computer an causing it and the Phantom Egg to explode.

Eggman and the Phantom Ruby was sent flying out of the Phantom Egg. "I _hate_ you..." Eggman snarled. At that moment, an alarm rang out as explosions littered the room. "Without the Phantom Ruby, this robot's coming apart at the seams!" Tails said. "Time to go!" Eggman grabbed The Phantom Ruby and took off running into the corridor.

"You guys go!" Sonic said. "I'll get Eggman and the ruby!" Sonic took off after Eggman. "Sonic, wait!" Tails chased after Sonic, but an explosion caused debris to fall and block the entrance. "Sonic!" Tails yelled.

"Tails, come on!" Knuckles said.

"But Sonic-!" Tails started to protest.

"There's no time!" Knuckles grabbed Tails by the hand as he, Mighty, Ray, and Amy ran through the other corridor. This one led to to rocket cars. Tails and Knuckles got in one, while Mighty, Amy, and Ray got in the other. The two cars sped through the corridor as a mass of flames chased them.

Meanwhile, Eggman ran through the corridor as he reached his personal escape pod. Before he could get to it, however, Sonic raced to him and grabbed the Phantom Ruby, leading to a struggle between the two arch rivals. "Let go, Eggman!" Sonic demanded.

"No, it's mine!" Eggman shouted. The two struggled with the ruby when suddenly, a wave of energy surged from the ruby, engulfing both Sonic and Eggman. The space around them began to distort as they vanished in a flash of light...

 _ **To be continued...**_

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: Lost Souls in Reverie: Next time on _Sonic Mania!_ Sonic and Eggman finds themselves transported to a different dimension by the Phantom Ruby. There, they encounter the Metal King, who takes the ruby and declares his intent to conquer the world with its power. Now Sonic must call upon the might of the Chaos Emeralds to face off against the mad machine. Can Super Sonic dethrone the Metal King and finally destroy the accursed Phantom Ruby? Find out in the epic conclusion of _Sonic Mania!_**


	16. Chapter 14: Lost Souls In Reverie!

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Sonic Mania! Sonic and the gang had finally reached the Titanic Monarch and proceeded to infiltrate it in hopes of thwarting Eggman's scheme. But the mad doctor was ready for them and confronted the gang in a mech suit powered by the Phantom Ruby. After an intense battle, they manage to defeat Eggman, buy the Phantom Ruby teleported both Sonic and Eggman away just as the Monarch began to self destruct. Now Sonic awakens to find himself in another world entirely.**

 **Author's Note: This is _technically_ the final chapter, but I had to split it into two parts as it would be too long. Next part is the epilogue. **

A groan escaped Sonic's lips as his consciousness slowly returned to him. He slowly sat up, clutching his head in pain. "Man, what hit me last night?" he muttered to himself. When he finally opened his eyes, what he saw next made him jump to his feet. Sonic looked around to find himself in a barren wasteland. Although, wasteland may not be the best way to describe this strange place. If anything, it was more like a purple void with the only source of ground being a winding road that seemed to go on ad infinitum. The road was partially covered in magenta crystals and lined with numerous, oddly-shaped stage lights.

"Well, I'm _definitely_ not in Kansas anymore." Sonic said. "I remember now. That Phantom Ruby must've sent me here. Either way, I've got to find a way out of this place. I just hope the others made it out of the Monarch in time." With his goal set, Sonic performed his Super Peel Out, revving up speed before taking off. The road seemed to go on forever and was full of twists and turns. Sonic didn't know how long he was running nor could he tell how long he was running. Whenever he looked at his watch, it would display random numbers. It was as if time and space were nonexistent here.

After what seemed like hours of running along an endless road, Sonic finally reached the end: A circular arena lined with crystals and stage lights. The Phantom Ruby floated in the center of the arena, as if to say, "I'm the star of this show".

"There it is." Sonic said. "Now to grab it and get the heck out of here." Sonic walked towards the ruby, but he didn't get far before he was forced to dodge incoming lasers. At that moment, the Metal King flew down onto the arena, still sporting the scar from his last battle with Knuckles. "At last! The Phantom Ruby!" Metal King proclaimed as he snatched the Phantom Ruby.

"You?!" Sonic asked. "I thought Knuckles turned you to scrap!"

" _That_ pathetic vermin? Oh, please." Metal King scoffed. "I was banished to this godforsaken realm by Eggman. Ever since then, I've been trying to find my way out. And now, my search is at an end. The Phantom Ruby and its power are mine! With it, I shall be... REBORN!" Metal King laughed maniacally as he was enveloped in the Phantom Ruby's crimson energy.

When the aura faded, Metal King was transformed into a larger and stronger version of himself. The Phantom Ruby rested comfortably on top of his now large crown. His shoulders and collar have become more pronounced and the crown emblem on his chest had become red, though at the cost of his cape. His bronze-colored armor-plating also became yellow and more pronounced, covering most of his body. His arms were orbs that coated with spikes. He also wore yellow spiked wristbands and his hands were larger and now had yellow claws. His legs were replaced with two strings of purple crystals that dangled from his bottom.

"I am the Phantom King!" The transformed Eggrobo declared. "With the Phantom Ruby's power at my command, I shall escape this prison and forge my robot kingdom!"

"Like heck you will!" A familiar voice rang out. Sonic turned behind him to see none other than Eggman flying behind him. The mad doctor was piloting what appeared to be a damaged and hastily hobbled together Egg Mobile. It was outfitted with two long red barrels for arms and a third arm outfitted with a white glove protruding from the back of the craft. Eggman charged at the Phantom King and the two villains locked arms with each other.

"The ruby... belongs... to me!" Eggman raged, the third hand on his Egg Mobile reaching to grab the Phantom Ruby.

"Its power would be wasted on a lowly organic like yourself!" The Phantom King shouted back. The Eggrobo ripped the Egg Mobile's arms off and fired a laser from the Phantom Ruby, destroying the Egg Mobile and sending Eggman flying to the ground, knocking him out. "Now it's your turn, blue hedgehog." The Phantom King said.

"Bring it on!" Sonic challenged. The Phantom King raised his fist, ready to strike. But suddenly, the Phantom King froze as if something was holding him back. His hands flew to his head and he screamed in agony as the Phantom ruby discharged red and black electricity. "What's... happening... to me?!" The Phantom King thrashed about like a wild animal before he finally went limp, floating in place like a hanged man.

Sonic cautiously walked up to the unconscious robot. "Uh... you okay there, pal?" he asked.

" _Quite alright, thanks_." a different voice replied. The Phantom King slowly rose from his hunched position. His red eyes now had yellow and black pupils. Disturbingly, the Phantom Ruby now became a red eyeball with a yellow and black pupil. "What the heck...?" Sonic asked, unnerved by the sight.

" _This was not how I intended things to go._ " The Phantom Ruby said. " _But you and your friends forced my hand_."

"You're the Phantom Ruby!" Sonic said. "You're the one behind all this!"

" _Indeed_." the Phantom Ruby replied. " _I had initially wanted to use the Titanic Monarch to be my vessel with which I would conquer this dimension. But your continued interference threatened to throw a wrench in that plan, so I banished Metal King to this dimension in case I had to use him as a back up vessel. And once I wrest the Chaos Emeralds from your corpse, I will go on to conquer this dimension and the worlds beyond!_ "

"That's quite the lofty goal you got there." Sonic said. "But there's just one problem..." Sonic closed his eyes as the Chaos Emeralds appeared and began to encircle him. In a brilliant flash of golden light, Sonic was transformed. His blue fur had now become a radiant shade of gold. This was his super form. "Super Sonic", as he called it. The empowered hedgehog rose into the air.

"You want to take over my dimension, you'll have to go through me!" Sonic declared as he charged at Phantom King. The Phantom Ruby began glowing as it charged up energy. It then fired a massive red laser at Sonic. The hedgehog screamed as the laser seared his flesh and fur. Sonic fell to the ground, smoke coming off of his body.

"Dang..." Sonic groaned. "I actually _felt_ that. This guy can hurt me even when I'm Super. Gotta be careful." Sonic didn't have much time to think as the Phantom King drew a line in the air in front of him and with a wave of his hand, unleashed a storm of glass shards at Sonic. Sonic backflipped away to avoid the shards and flew at Phantom King. The Eggrobo dissolved into cubes to avoid Sonic and reassembled behind him.

Sensing Phantom King about to attack him, Sonic swiftly turned and delivered a roundhouse kick, sending the robot flying back. Phantom King opened a dark portal near him and sent his fist through it. Another portal opened near Sonic and the Phantom King's fist came through it, punching Sonic right in the face. Another portal opened and Phantom King punched Sonic again.

From there, it turned into a game of pinball, with the Phantom King punching Sonic from one portal to another. Eventually, Sonic had enough and gathered energy in his fist. When he got near a portal, his fist collided with the Phantom King's, causing a small explosion that pushed the Eggrobo's hand back through the portal. Taking advantage of the distraction, Sonic flew towards Phantom King and delivered a flurry of rapid punches, each blow leaving dents in the Phantom King's armor.

Phantom King turned his hand into a hammer and smacked Sonic away, knocking him to the ground. The Eggrobo then turned his hands into gatling guns and opened fire on Sonic. Using Quick Step, Sonic dodged the bullets and flew at Phantom King again. The Phantom King was ready for him, however, and threw up a barrier around himself. Sonic was too late to stop himself from smashing into the barrier, electrocuting himself.

Phantom King again turned his hand into a hammer and slammed Sonic to the ground. The Eggrobo then conjured another dark portal right above Sonic, this time raining down a multitude of energy blasts on the hedgehog, cratering the ground around him. Once the barrage was over, Phantom King hovered above the crater to see Sonic's unconscious frame.

" _Time to finish this._ " the Phantom Ruby said as the Phantom King conjured a large purple energy ball. Before he could throw it, however, he was interrupted by a shot from behind. The Phantom King turned his head a full 360° degrees to see Eggman standing behind him, armed with a small ray gun.

"You monster!" Eggman snarled. "You manipulated me... _used_ me! Made me hurt my niece! You'll **_pay_** for this!" Eggman fired several shots from his ray gun, but they all bounced off the Phantom King's armor. " _Pathetic_." The Phantom King fired a blast of lightning from the ruby, knocking him to the ground. " _What could a lesser being such as you possibly do to defeat me?_ "

"Nothing..." Eggman replied before flashing a smirk. "...Except stall you for a few seconds." Phantom King looked confused for a moment, then turned behind him to see Sonic rising out of the hole while charging up a Spin Dash. The golden energy that radiated off of him made him look like a fireball. The Phantom King tried to erect a barrier, but it was too late. With blinding speed, Sonic smashed a hole through the Eggrobo's chest. The Phantom King's eyes went dark as his lifeless shell fell to the ground. The Phantom Ruby fell off of the Phantom King and rolled at Eggman's feet.

Eggman picked up the ruby, grinning maliciously. My, my. How the tables have turned." Eggman mockingly said. "Once I find a way to rid you of your consciousness, I'll harness your energy and rebuild the Titanic Monarch!"

"Not a chance!" Sonic shouted as he charged at Eggman, fist glowing with golden chaos energy. "This... Ends... **_NOW!_** "

"NO!" Eggman screamed as he outstretched his hand, using the Phantom Ruby as a makeshift shield. When Sonic's fist touched the ruby, a surge of electricity flared from the gemstone, electrocuting both Sonic and Eggman. Eggman was knocked out cold once again. The Chaos Emeralds flew from Sonic, reverting him to his normal form. The Phantom Ruby rose into the air with the Seven Chaos Emeralds encircling it. A purple portal opened behind it.

" _This dimension is of no further interest to me._ " the ruby said as it was sucked into the portal. " _There's better pickings elsewhere_."

"Oh no, you don't!" Sonic shouted as he jumped into the portal just as it closed. From the spot where the portal was, a blinding flash of white light began to engulf the dimension, swallowing the unconscious Eggman along with it...

* * *

 **Next Chapter Preview: A Tale of Two Eggmen. While Eggman's scheme for world domination has been thwarted, what became of him? And where did the Phantom Ruby go? Find out in the epilogue of _Sonic Mania!_**


	17. Epilouge: A Tale Of Two Eggmen!

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on _Sonic Mania!_ Sonic awoke to find himself in another dimension thanks to the Phantom Ruby. There, he encountered Metal King, who ended up possessed by the Phantom Ruby in a last-ditch attempt to conquer Sonic's dimension. Using the power of the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic engaged the Phantom King in a grand final battle. The climatic clash pushed our hero to the breaking point, but with some unexpected aid from Eggman, Sonic emerged victorious. Defeated, the Phantom Ruby tore open a rift in space and attempted to flee to another dimension with Sonic in hot pursuit. Now we bear witness to the aftermath.**

 **Author's Note: Here's the epilogue. I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed this story! I hope you enjoyed reading it as I've enjoyed writing it, and I hope you all look forward to my upcoming _Sonic Forces_ novelization.**

"Just a little further guys!" Tails said as he and the gang raced out of the collapsing Titanic Monarch. Debris fell all around them and they could feel the flames licking at their heels. Eventually, they saw a light at the end of the tunnel and flew though it to the outside world. They activated the flight mode on their Jet Sleds and flew off Little Planet, leaving the Titanic Monarch behind as it perished in a spectacular explosion.

Meanwhile, Omelette flew to Never Lake's shore on her Egg Mobile just as the gang landed their Jet Sleds. "Thank God you guys are okay!" Omelette said. "When I lost the connection, I got worried!" Omelette looked around as she noticed something was wrong with this scenario. "Wait a minute...where's Sonic? _Where's Uncle Robotnik?!_ " Tails and the gang lowered their heads in sadness and regret. Omelette took a step backward and fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Eggman tried to get away with the Phantom Ruby." Tails said. "Sonic went after him. We tried to go after them, but the Monarch was collapsing! We had to get out of there." Omelette didn't respond; she was still in shock. That's when they heard a fierce rumbling. The group looked to see the chain holding Little Planet suddenly snap in two. The mechanized planetoid rose into the air and disappeared into particles of light. What came next, however, was truly a sight to behold. The particles of light rearranged themselves into the shape of Sonic's face, who gave a wink before fading away.

Omelette was so transfixed by the sight that she didn't notice Amy placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Omelette." she assured her. "I know Sonic. He'll be back, and he'll bring Eggman back safely."

"Amy's right, Omelette." Tails said. "Sonic's not the type to give up. And Eggman's just as stubborn as he is. You'll see. Sooner or later, they'll both be back safe and sound." Knuckles, Ray, and Mighty all gave Omelette thumbs up in assurance. Omelette gave a small, wistful smile in response.

...but that smile only masked the feeling of hopelessness within her.

* * *

 _ **Later, at Eggman's old base...**_

Omelette sat on the sofa in the main room. She had been there ever since she left Never Lake. Normally, she would be reading a book or surfing the internet, but it was hard to find solace in either the printed word or in cyberspace when your entire world has collapsed all around you in the span of a few hours. Instead, she sat and stared at a portrait of her and uncle. It was from her first Science Fair, when she was six years old. She had won first prize and Uncle was there to cheer her on.

Oh, what she wouldn't give to go back to those happy times. And oh, how she cursed the day they found that damnable ruby! Uncle said it would bring them success, but all it brought her was misery. As she stared at the portrait, overcome by her memories, Omelette began crying once more.

"Uncle..." she sobbed. "Please come back." That's when something truly extraordinary happened. A sound, almost like thunder, ripped through the room and a shockwave knocked Omelette off the sofa. Then, a flash of light rippled through the room. Omelette covered her eyes and shielded herself from the light. When it faded, what she saw next made her eyes widen and her jaw hit the floor. It was Uncle Robotnik.

Eggman groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. "Where...am I?" He turned to see Omelette, who just stared back in open-mouthed shock. "Eggatha?" he asked.

"Uncle...is that...you?" Omelette asked.

"Yes, it's me." Eggman replied. "Where are we?" Omelette didn't reply, but instead she began sniffling as if she was about to cry. She then ran to Eggman and hugged him tightly, grabbing on to every part of him and not wanting to let go. "Uncle, you're back!" Omelette cried, part of her not believing what she was seeing. "You're back! I was so worried! I thought you were dead! What happened?"

"Sonic and I got teleported to another dimension." Eggman said. "The Phantom Ruby possessed the Metal King and wanted to conquer our dimension. Sonic destroyed Metal King, but the Phantom Ruby escaped to another dimension along with Sonic. But the question remains: How did I get here?"

Omelette placed a hand to her chin as she pondered on this. "Hmm... This is likely a theory, but it seems that when the Phantom Ruby leaves this dimension, any changes and alterations are undone. I guess the Phantom Ruby can only affect the dimension it's currently in. But that doesn't matter! I'm just so glad you're okay!" Eggman's expression then turned sullen. "What's wrong, uncle?"

"Eggatha..." Eggman began. "You were right. The Phantom Ruby was too dangerous to use. You tried to warn me, but...I didn't listen. Worse, I tried to _kill_ you! My own _family!_ " His voice wavered on that last word. "I'm so sorry! Can't you ever find it in your heart to forgive this foolish old man?"

Omelette held Eggman's hand. "You have nothing to apologize for." she said, firmly but assuringly. "It was all the fault of that ruby. I'm just glad you're back. But just promise me one thing."

"Yes?" Eggman said as he wiped his eyes.

"From now on, let's stick to emeralds instead of rubies, okay?" Omelette asked with a smile. Eggman stared a bit, then both of them erupted into laughter. "Ahh, Eggatha. You always know how to bring a smile to my face." Eggman said.

"It's what I do." Omelette replied. "Anyway, with Sonic gone, I guess you'll want to take advantage of this opportunity and find the Chaos Emeralds, huh?"

"Actually...you still have two weeks of summer vacation left, right?" Eggman asked. "Perhaps a vacation at the beach?" Omelette's face beamed at the suggestion. "Cool! I'll get my surfboard and bathing suit!" Omelette excitedly ran to her room. Eggman smiled contently. It seemed that everything was back to normal.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, in a parallel dimension...**_

"Hmm...no, no, and NO!" Eggman shouted. After his latest scheme for world domination predictably went down the toilet, the doctor decided to lay low for awhile. He was currently holed up in his new secret base in Green Hill Zone. The doctor has since been passing the time trying to come up with new designs for his robots... with minimal success.

"Why am I having such a hard time coming up with new robot designs lately?" Eggman asked in frustration.

"Excuse me, boss." Orbot said. "But the proximity sensors have picked up an unusual energy signature right outside." Eggman turned on the security monitor and it displayed a picture of what appeared to be a gemstone buried in the sand just outside. Eggman walked outside and pulled the gemstone out of the ground. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be a magenta ruby with black ripple patterns decorating it.

"Well, this is a curious sight." Eggman said. "What have we here?"

One crisis has ended, but it seems another has just begun...

 _ **The End... Or is it?**_

* * *

 **Well, that ends my tale. Till next time!**


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